Esperanza
by hazelmom
Summary: Summary: It's two years beyond a pandemic that began the destruction of the world. How did Gibbs' team fare in that time? Tiva and McGibbs focused. Alternate universe.
1. Chapter 1

15

**Title: Esperanza**

**Genre: AU/Post-Apocalyptic **

**Rating: 18**

**Warnings: Post apocalyptic story. Slash. Violence.**

**Pairings: McGibbs, Tiva**

**Summary: It's two years beyond a pandemic that began the destruction of the world. How did Gibbs' team fare in that time?**

**A/N: This is a very different kind of story. It came to me in a dream and I found myself sort of obsessed with it. It is the kind of AU story that might sear your eyeballs if you are not careful. Heed the warnings. I'm going to post the first chapter and see what happens. Here goes. Sheila**

He squatted on the side of the highway and took note of the footprints in the gravel. He had been three days without seeing anyone, and that suited him just fine. People had become dangerous, plain and simple. In the last two years, he'd killed as many people as he'd talked to; so he found it easiest to not see anyone at all.

In the Afterworld, it wasn't hard to find solitude. The Avian flu killed half the world's population in the period of a single month. Because of its virulence, scientists promised that it would die out quickly. It didn't happen that way. Every day, people waited behind closed doors, praying and hoping, but the virus seemed to be everywhere. The problem was that the virus had a two-week incubation period. In the time it took for people to get sick, they had already interacted with hundreds of people.

The rain had been plentiful all spring, and everywhere he looked, the landscape was lush and green. Nature had never been his thing, but he was developing a strong affinity. Abandoned homes and deserted stores had long ago lost their usage. Most food had either spoiled or was out of date, and homes had given way to neglect. Most were pest filled or dusty. Oftentimes, he still found dead bodies fossilized in bedrooms, and memories of that first month would fill his gut. Most times, he pulled blankets and pillows from cupboards, and slept on couches. As time went on, he became more comfortable sleeping outside in a sleeping bag he took from a sporting goods store.

The pandemic itself wasn't responsible for this much devastation, but it was the start. Every major government had fallen in those early months. The sickness created so much chaos that the infrastructure had collapsed. People destined to do evil were left to their own devices. The rest were too afraid to think straight. Guns became the most important commodity in the afterworld. Shooting folks came with no discernible consequence.

He'd always believed in law and order. Order had been so absent from his upbringing that he'd come to depend on it as a Navy cop. In the last two years, he'd attached himself to four different regimes attempting to bring reason to the chaos. He'd run from two of them when he discovered that the lust for power came with nefarious motives. One he walked away from because true leadership was missing. The last one he'd clung to the longest. He believed in the leadership, and thought he'd finally found a cause worth dying for, but this was the one that truly broke his heart.

He adjusted his backpack again. Outdoor living stores had become all the rage among survivors. Any time he found one, he could expect that it had been heavily looted. There were usually pockets of survivors nearby, and so he always went heavily armed. One group had taken over an especially large franchise store, and he had to barter for supplies. When a man owned only what he carried, it was hard to come up with things to part with, but he managed to entice them with a couple of sports watches. In return, he got a month's worth of dehydrated soup, beef jerky, and dried apples. A watch required no infrastructure to operate, and they were fast becoming valuable commodities.

The highway was steadily climbing higher, and the hiking challenged his sinewy limbs. His map told him that he was in the right part of West Virginia, but beyond that, he had no idea on how to find his destination. When the sun climbed high in the sky, he stopped under a tree. He pulled out a piece of jerky and gnawed at it for a while. If he wanted to do more than subsist, he needed to learn how to hunt. Shooting and killing weren't the problem. He had no real idea how to do skin, clean, or properly cook game. Up until this time, he'd stayed inside cities, and traded his services for food. A man at the last sporting goods location had offered to teach him for the price of his boots, but he'd been in too much of a hurry to take the man up on his offer.

He leaned against the tree with his hand on his gun and dozed until early evening. Mosquitoes buzzing woke him, and he gathered his stuff. Half a mile later, he saw a sign for a town called Tubbs in five miles. He pushed himself to make it by 10 p.m.

After the sun went down, he used his lithium flashlight to keep the road. There were too many trees to allow much in the way of moonlight. It was dangerous to approach a population center without knowing the variables, and as he approached the outskirts, he couldn't convince himself there wasn't danger lurking. He decided to follow the edge of town off the highway until he found an isolated house. He used all of his skills he'd formerly used to catch criminals as he checked the windows and the doors of the house. Finally satisfied, he tried the back door. Most ransacked houses had a broken lock on the back door. When it swung open, he breathed a sigh of relief. An occupied house wouldn't have an open door, not in this day and age.

He shone his light through the kitchen and headed for the pantry. The floor was already littered with canned goods telling him that the house was pretty picked over pretty good already. Still, he was able to scavenge three small cans of peaches and two tins of sardines. He found a bowl in the cupboard and emptied two of the cans of peaches in it. Then he started eating too fast, and soon he was choking, and trying to keep himself from vomiting. It showed a loss of control and he became angry with himself. He needed to be in control at all costs.

He was exhausted, but he didn't seek a bedroom. He'd run into too many dead bodies still decaying there. Plus, the bedroom was the most intimate part of a home. It reminded him that he was invading what had once been someone's sanctuary and all the memories it once held. He contented himself with a blanket from a hall closet. Then he picked a spot at top of the carpeted stairs and lay down. If anyone entered in the night, he had to be somewhere where he could have a tactical advantage.

For the first time, he allowed himself to relax in the dark. The only sounds around him were crickets that had clearly invaded the house through cracked windows. He thought about allowing himself a memory. It was a serious decision to make. Earlier attempts at this had left him so depressed that he'd barely been able to function the next morning. Yet the ache for her was so deep, he felt like he would explode if not allowed a moment to remember.

The first two weeks of the pandemic had been terrifying, but there was still a sense that everything could be contained. They were quarantined inside NCIS in those days, and the feelings he'd long had for her had overflowed. He was still incapable of the words, but he kept his eyes on her at all times. She noticed, they all noticed, but no one said anything when he insisted that all of his tasks involve her.

There was talk of the vaccine. It existed. Members of government had already been inoculated, and there were negotiations about how to distribute it to branches of the military. Vance lived in his office in those early days, and when he emerged he was always red-eyed and angry. Gibbs spent most of his time up there with him, but he was tight-lipped about their exchanges.

On day 12, Vance stood at the top of the stairs and addressed his people. NCIS had been allotted 500 doses for over 3,000 people. He prioritized it so that department heads received doses. All personnel deemed essential were going to be placed in a lottery. Those chosen would receive the remaining. All non-essential personnel would not be vaccinated, but would be allowed to stay within the confines of the building as long as order could be maintained. No family members of any personnel including the Director's would be given the vaccine. Names of chosen personnel were posted on the NCIS website. Vance turned and disappeared into his office. Some people tried storming the stairs, but Gibbs stood in their way, speaking quietly but firmly about the need for calm. Eventually, stunned personnel dispersed.

McGee printed out the list and they all searched it for their names. Her name had been absent as well as Abby's, Ducky's, and Jimmy's. There was anger and tears, and the team made noises about refusing the vaccine if all could not be included. It was Ducky, world weary and wise, who stood and calmly reminded them that they couldn't give into their fears. The strongest and the luckiest would be needed to help those not so lucky. Receiving the vaccine was thus not a selfish act but a necessary one to help those in need of care and protection.

He couldn't live with the idea that she wasn't allowed a dose. Luck had been absent her entire life: her mother and siblings were dead, and she had a father who could best be described as Machiavellian. As expected, she was accepted it for what it was, and urged the rest to follow Ducky's advice.

No one yet knew that paper currency would soon have no meaning. On McGee's advice, Tony had begun taking money out of his banking account in measureable amounts since the 2nd day of the pandemic. He took $1000 of it and made a very important purchase. An hour later, he was able to corner her in a hallway and tell her the terrific news. Gibbs had found extra vaccine. She was now on the list. Gibbs' powers were mythical, and so she didn't question the lie. He pushed her into the room where the nurses worked and they got it done.

In the early morning hours the next day, Gibbs gathered the team and let them know that cases of vaccine were on the black market and he intended to go out there and retrieve enough to make sure all of his team and others would be taken care of. They'd all volunteered but Gibbs looked at Ziva and reminded her that she was not yet inoculated. She looked at Gibbs in confusion and then they both looked at him. $1000 couldn't buy a dose of the vaccine, but it could buy a chance to take his name off the list and replace it with hers.

Confusion turned to horror, but there was little time to react. He had to stay back now while she went with the team out onto the chaotic streets of D.C. Lying on the landing of the abandoned home, he remembered the fear he held in his gut while they were gone, and then he remembered the elation when they snuck in the next day through the evidence garage with a case of 300 doses. Gibbs opened it then and there, making sure that Ducky, Jimmy, and Abby got their dose. Ziva took a dose personally for him, and they stole off to an empty interrogation room where she locked the door, covered the two-way mirror, and gave him the shot. Then the words came for both of them as he stroked her beautiful, tear-streaked face.

It wasn't the memory of the lovemaking that he sought when he remembered. It was the memory of touching her face in that way, fully engaged in his love for her. It was a pure moment, one untouched by the fear and the chaos surrounding them. He craved that memory and protected it. He only allowed it now because he felt something in the pit of his stomach that told him that he was close to her again.

…

He spent the morning scouring Tubbs for food and supplies, but the town had been picked over with a fine-toothed comb. The best he could do was a couple of cans of mandarin oranges and a box of stale granola bars. He had very little direction as to where to head next but his gut told him to head deeper into the mountains.

He was thinking about finding a leafy tree to rest under from the midday sun when he heard the sound of wheels on gravel. He turned just as a jeep bore down on him at high speed. He dove for the ditch, and rolled, pulling for his weapon as he did. By the time he got on his haunches, the jeep was stopped and a number of semi-automatic weapons were trained on him. He opened his hand and let his Sig drop to the ground.

They didn't ask for his name. Names had little meaning in a world where databases had largely been destroyed. Instead, they asked him if he was vaccine or anti-body. It was the question of most meaning in the afterworld. To say he was vaccine was to mark him as someone who had had some clout in the before world. Only government, law enforcement, health care personnel or persons with large amounts of money had been vaccinated. To say you were vaccine was a mixed bag especially in rural areas where people were largely on their own during the pandemic. To be anti-body meant that your body had someone been strong enough to resist the virus. It established you as a person of strength and resolve.

If he could, he would identify himself as anti-body, but the vaccination had left a telltale scar on his left shoulder. They could easily pull his sleeve up and see for themselves. Honesty was his best option and he identified himself as vaccine. The four people with guns looked at each other, but said nothing. One of them handcuffed his hands behind his back and pushed him into the back of the jeep. He stayed quiet. He found that his quirky banter had little use in a world that had largely lost its humor. He bounced up and down on the metal floor as the jeep sped to parts unknown feeling very little. He'd run out of fear some time ago.

…

They brought him to an old county jail and put him in a cell. He looked up at them from the cot, his hands still handcuffed behind his back. "Your hospitality is overwhelming. Is it possible to get something to drink?"

They disappeared and a woman returned with a bottle of water and put it to his lips. He gulped at it. Then he lay back. "What's next? You getting the boss?"

She stepped back. "He's a busy man. He'll come when he can."

"I don't mean harm. I'm here looking for a friend."

She stared at him silently and he said nothing more. She was a young woman, but her eyes held a history of grief and disappointment. Words meant so very little in days like these. Actions were the only currency in gaining trust.

His eyes grew heavy, and he realized that the water had been spiked. He wanted to make his case before too many decisions were made, but she had disappeared from the room.

…..

It was dark when he opened his eyes save for a battery lantern hung in the corner of the cell. There was a man sitting in a chair watching him. It took a few moments for his eyes to focus, but the man waited patiently. The light left him in shadows, but when he blinked his eyes again, his breath caught. "Boss?"

The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I haven't supervised you for two years, DiNozzo. Don't think boss applies anymore."

"It's really you."

The light caught Gibbs' steel blue eyes. "What's left of me anyway."

DiNozzo tried to sit up but his hands were still handcuffed securely behind his back. "Not taking any chances are you?"

"It's been a long time, Tony. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Tony nodded. "Probably a good idea. I'm not sure if I'd hug you or beat you to a bloody pulp. I have a feeling you wouldn't welcome either response."

"What brings you to these parts."

"Ziva. When she left, I knew she'd come looking for you. I need to see her."

Gibbs watched him silently.

"You know where she is, don't you?"

"You walk the whole way?"

"Most of the way. It took me a month."

"How did you hear where I was?"

Tony swallowed. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"It's been a long time, DiNozzo. We need to do some catching up before I answer any questions for you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Tell me what you've been up to."

Tony smirked. "Really? Well, that'll take a while."

"I carved out a few hours."

"Should I start from the beginning? How about I start from where you took McGee and left us behind?"

"Vance gave us a mission. We had to protect the families of 200 servicemen still out at sea."

"Well, you left us behind in crazytown and I never heard from you again."

"What happened?"

Tony shook his head. "We worked for Vance. We were his little Delta Force. We ran missions trying to protect naval personnel from marauders. We liberated supplies from the quartermaster. We tried to create a self sustaining city within the Naval Yard. It worked well for the first few months, but when the last of the infrastructure crumbled, it became unclear as to whom we were really answering to. Vance did the best he could. He lost his children in the pandemic, and he brought his grieving wife into the building, but he never left his post. More than anyone, he seemed to know what he was fighting for. It was powerful stuff. I always knew that I would walk through the gates of hell for you, and it didn't take too many weeks before I added Leon Vance to that shortlist. He didn't seek power for the sake of it. He stayed focused on protecting Navy personnel."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know. One day Jarvis was there and Vance wasn't. We asked questions, demanded answers, but SecNav wasn't saying anything. We tolerated it for two days, and then Rusty Balboa staged a little uprising. You know how Rusty was. He…couldn't tolerate change much, and no one knew or much liked Jarvis. Rusty stood at the bottom of the stairs and called Jarvis out. He said he wasn't taking another order until he got a solid answer on Vance. Jarvis accused him of treason. Two of his thugs dragged Rusty up the stairs, and the rest pulled guns on us. We were all in shock. Jarvis told us that Vance was a thief. He said that law and order had to be maintained. He asked Rusty if he had any last words, and before anyone could react, his man shot Rusty right between the eyes. All hell broke loose. Picture a gun battle in the bullpen. Ziva and I retreated, grabbed Ducky, Jimmy, Breena, and Abby, and we left the Navy yard. Haven't been back."

"Rusty deserved better."

Tony looked down and took a breath. "Yeah, we all deserved better. Ducky had the most space, and we all moved in there. For a few weeks, we were all on top of one another. We had no direction. Honestly, I think I was the most in shock."

Gibbs nodded. "Makes sense, Tony. You've always been the one most obsessed with American culture: the movies, the pop references. You were in love with our way of life."

"You know, I remembered wondering if I was wrong to give up Rota, Spain, but the truth was that I like to follow. I can be a leader, but my natural instincts are to serve rather than lead. It's why I was comfortable staying on your team so long."

"What happened next?"

"Ducky and Ziva got me back on track. I waited for you to come back, but there was no word. We got restless after a few weeks. Ducky and Jimmy started going out during the day to work in street hospitals. Abby started disappearing and returning at odd hours. Ziva and I went looking for a cause to champion. We hooked up with the Secretary of Agriculture who had taken over his building. He had a bunch of eggheads working on the blueprints to create small agrarian communities. His theory was that our future lay in returning to nature. We provided some of his muscle. He was a good man. He only wanted to help, but he wasn't ruthless enough to compete with the Jarvis's that were popping up all over D.C. They were dictators trying to restore order by becoming street gangs. We caught word of two groups that wanted his building. We were barely able to sneak him out of D.C. before they invaded. I'd like to think that he's still out there somewhere planting sustainable gardens."

"What happened to Abby?"

Tony closed his eyes. "We tried to contain her but you know her, she has the energy of six people. She kept disappearing. She was working with a group of nuns trying to provide refuge for the sick and people who were starving. Ziva and I would bring in food and supplies to sustain us for a week, and the next day, Abby would've absconded with most of it. She was doing God's work. That I understood, but some of us needed to do man's work so that we could have the resources to survive. We started fighting. I stupidly tried to control her. She accused me of being a fascist."

"Were you?"

"Ziva and I were doing protection work free lance at this point. There were times we didn't choose wisely as to our employers. We always walked away when we found out their motives, but we got our hands dirty more than once."

Tony leaned forward. "Gibbs, we weren't going to stay alive if we all did volunteer work. Somebody had to go out there and play the game so we could eat."

"You think I'm judging you?"

"Yeah Gibb, I do. I'm sitting here trussed up like a condemned man while you demand that I account for myself. You look like the judge, the jury, and the executioner to me."

"I'm no Jarvis, Tony."

"Let me ask you a question. How long did McGee last? You might not have been in touch with us, but you were with others. Fornell told us he was dead maybe six months after we last saw you. McGee died and we had to hear it from Fornell."

Gibbs' face didn't move. "He was indispensable to the end."

"Of course, he was. Could he be anything else? I missed him, and when I heard he was dead, it was…we all thought we were too numb to care, but I cried for him…we all did."

"Tell me about losing Abby."

Tony shook his head. "There's that tone again. I did the best I could. After we learned about McGee, everything changed. The fights were nastier. We were a bunch of islands in a small space. I wanted her to stay, but one day she was gone and so were Jimmy and Breena. Ziva and I looked for them but we couldn't find them. Sister Rosita was gone. We hoped that they'd gotten somewhere safe, but it was…a foolish dream. There was so much chaos out there. People were being taken hostage or forced to live under some group's idea of martial law. Just going from one block to the next was dangerous, and if you were caught, and they found supplies on you, you could be executed on the spot for looting. We were worried that they had been caught with food. We didn't let ourselves imagine the rest."

"Did you ever execute people on the spot?"

Tony glared at him. "No."

"You got close."

"We got creative when we worked for someone, and when it soured, we'd get out. I did things I wasn't proud of, but I never executed anyone."

"And you never found Abby?"

He shook his head slowly. "A week later, Ducky disappeared, and then we heard a rumor that you were in town. We wanted so badly for that to be true, but nothing happened. Then it was just Ziva and I. You see everything, Gibbs. How long was I in love with her before I knew it?"

Gibbs allowed himself a chuckle. "I don't remember a time when you weren't in love with her."

"I was so…obsessed with losing her. She was the only reason I kept breathing. We worked together. We hid out together while the violence around us raged. We made love and we told each other lies about our future. I was uneasy whenever she was out of the room."

"But it went wrong."

"I knew from the first time she threw up in the morning. We didn't talk about it until her stomach began to grow. She wasn't frightened. She was in love with it immediately. Her hand was always resting there, and she was always looking off into the distance as if there was a possibility of something better out there."

"You called the baby an it."

He rubbed at his face. "I was not in love with it. I was terrified. Every time, I closed my eyes, she was dying in labor. There was no hospital to take her to. It slowed her down, made her more vulnerable. I had nightmares of bullets catching her big body. I tried to reason with her. I told her that it was impossible to bring a child into the hell we were living. I begged her; I did everything I could to convince her that this would destroy her…and us."

"And you had no feelings for the baby."

"The baby terrified me more than Jarvis did. How could we possibly keep a baby alive in this world? What if I fell in love with it and it died? It would strip the remaining humanity from both of us. I knew it. I felt it."

"What did you do, Tony?"

"Clearly, she's been here and she's told you."

"I need to hear it from you."

"There was a street doctor who gave me a drug to give her. It was designed to induce a miscarriage. I put it in her food."

"And what happened?"

Tony squeezed his eyes shut. "It almost killed her. She was violently sick for days. I thought she was dying. It was such stupid thing to do. I was so grateful when she recovered."

"And the baby?"

"I don't know. I had to tell her what I did. Couldn't live with a lie of that magnitude. She left me the next morning. That was 9 months ago."

"You waited that long to come looking for her."

"I didn't deserve her 9 months ago. I needed to give her time and space, and I needed to understand why I had done what I had done."

"Do you understand now?"

He shook his head slowly. "Not really. Perhaps, I'm just a savage now. I don't know. I need to see her again. Please, Gibbs. Let me see her."

"Get some rest, Tony." Gibbs got up slowly.

Please! I need to talk to her!"

"Someone will come in and give you an energy drink. You need some calories." He disappeared into the darkness without another word.

…..

He sat for a long time in the dark before he reached over and put his hand on the man's side. He rested it there lightly, hoping not to disturb his sleep. The man was thin, he'd been thin for some years now, but now he was the kind of thin where ribs protruded. Gibbs wished he would eat more. It was possible now. They'd become organized and the rations had gotten much better in the last six months, but Gibbs couldn't get him to eat enough.

The body shifted and Gibbs tightened his grip. It was reflexive. If it were possible, he would've lay down next to him and wrapped his arms around him tightly. Gibbs would've whispered in his ear all the things he'd long wanted to say, but that wasn't possible for now. The body shifted again, and he started to pull away when a hand grabbed his tightly.

Gibbs smiled. "How long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes. Couldn't show it though. Didn't know when I'd have a chance to be this close to you again."

"I was being weak."

He sat up. "You don't know weak, Jethro. If you were weak, things would be much different between you and I right now."

"I have news."

The green eyes searched his face anxiously. "Did the generator go out? Was there an attack? Have people been hurt?"

"No! Nothing like that. Everything is fine. We have a visitor though."

"Who?"

"Tony."

He slapped Gibbs in the arm. "I knew it! I knew he would come for her. How is he?"

"Ragged. Angry. Confused."

"Wait 'til he sees her. Everything is going to change for him. I know it."

"Tim, he tried to kill Ziva."

"He was psychotic. How many of our families tried or succeeded in doing the same thing? The fear of bringing a child into this world is very deep. They moved past it and he can too."

"I'm not ready to take the risk. Ducky will see him in the morning."

McGee patted Gibbs' cheek. "Think of how much we've missed him."

"He's not that man anymore. Too much has happened; too much has changed. We don't really know who he is anymore."

McGee shook his head. "I can't be that cynical. Ducky is still Ducky. You are still you. I'm still the geek."

Gibbs shook his head. "Not to me and not to anyone else here. You're the guy who is making a future possible for our people."

"Can I see him tomorrow?"

"He still thinks you're dead. Let's take it one day at a time."

They both heard a gurgle, and they stopped talking to look over at the basinet on the other side of the bed. McGee rolled over and reached in, gently patting her back. "She's a good sleeper, Jethro."

Gibbs looked down at her. "Every time I see her, she looks more and more like her mother."

"I wish Ziva would get back here."

"Tim, we're not telling Tony anything about his child until she gets back. It's her decision."

"I know he'll love her. I know him. We both do."

"Be careful. You're going to wake her. She's old enough to sleep through the night."

"I kind of miss our late night feedings."

"You need the sleep." Gibbs walked to the door.

McGee lay back and watched him. "I wish this was your home."

"Maybe one day, things will be different. Right now, we have to deal with the circumstances we've been given."

McGee closed his eyes and turned away. "Good night, Jethro."

Gibbs hesitated at the door. He watched McGee settle in again. The connection he felt to the man who'd once been the junior agent on his team seemed to deepen with every encounter. He closed the door quietly and slipped out.

….

He could only allow himself a couple of hours before the start of another day. He came into the room as quietly as possible. It would've been easier to sleep on the couch, but she liked to know when he was around. He slipped out of his pants and tugged on some sweats before climbing under the blanket.

A sleepy face rose up and turned to him. "Jethro?"

"It's okay, Jackie. Go back to sleep."

She sat up, pushing her dark hair out of her face. "I heard you were interrogating someone."

He sighed. Sleep again was going to have to wait. "Tony DiNozzo, if you can believe it."

"Does he know anything about Leon?"

"Nothing more than we already know."

Her face fell.

"I should've waited to talk to you about this."

"I wasn't going to let you. I suppose you went to tell Tim."

"I did. Didn't spend a lot of time there though."

She stroked his arm gently. "That's too bad. The two of you deserve some real alone time."

He smiled. "That's not the kind of thing a wife says to her husband."

She sighed. "I have had only one real husband, Jethro."

"My job is to keep you safe until we can find him again. Thus, our charade is a necessity."

She looked at him for a long moment. "Lay down and get some sleep. I'll make sure someone else can take the early patrol."

"They're not ready."

"But we're not ready to lose you to an old world heart attack. Sleep. I got two eggs yesterday and some ramps and potatoes. You are going to wake up to an genuine omelet."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Thank God for you, Jackie."

…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't usually write this fast, but the thrill of a new story is upon me so my fingers can barely keep up with my thoughts. The pace will probably slow. Some questions will get answered here, and hopefully your interest will continue. Eager to hear what you think. Sheila

**Esperanza **

**Chapter 2**

He stayed cool as one person uncuffed him and another one kept a gun trained on his face. He followed them out, used the latrine, and washed his head and torso from a basin filled with creek water. He took the proffered towel, and rubbed himself clean. It felt good. He'd wanted to feel clean for a very long time. He didn't resist or protest when they led him back to his cell. A sense of relief had fallen over him. He was in Gibbs' care now, and he felt ready to accept whatever judgment came with that.

On a tray beside his cot, there were two pieces of bread smeared with jam and two pieces of jerky. He went straight for the bread. It had been at least six months since he'd had fresh bread. It felt so old world to him. He had to remember to take breaths between bites.

Someone chuckled and he looked up to see Ducky Mallard leaning against the door to his cell. DiNozzo leapt up. "Ducky!"

"Oh Tony, it is good to see you!" Ducky gestured at one of the guards and she opened the cell for him.

Tony forgot himself and enveloped Ducky in a tight hug. It took Ducky a moment to extricate himself. Tony let go reluctantly, his eyes red. "God, I missed you!"

"And I, you. Sit down, Tony."

Tony sat, a smile stretching his face for the first time in months. "Gibbs came back for you. We had so hoped that was the truth. Are Jimmy and Abby with you? Why didn't he tell myself or Ziva? I'm so confused."

"Take a breath. It's not all that you imagine. Abby, Jimmy, and Breena are still gone. I asked Gibbs to look for them, but there wasn't time. Gibbs came at Fornell's request. Fornell had found Jackie Vance in a street hospital. She'd disappeared with her husband, but has no memory of what happened to him. Jarvis' people were looking for her."

Tony shook his head. "Why? Jarvis took care of Vance. What threat was his wife?"

"Exactly. Fornell speculated that Vance got away. Jarvis could use Jackie as bait. Fornell hoped that if we kept her safe, Vance would be free to work against Jarvis. Gibbs snuck in to smuggle her out. He came for me because the community he was protecting needed a doctor. And he left you and Ziva because you were with Secretary of Agriculture Munson at the time. Munson needed you. Fornell told Gibbs Munson was a good man. Fornell and Gibbs schemed like a couple of generals, and we were their soldiers to move about as needed."

DiNozzo put his head in his hands. "Give me a minute to take it all in."

Ducky watched him for a long moment. "You heard nothing about Jimmy or Abby in the 18 months since I've seen you?"

Tony swallowed and shook his head. "Ziva and I looked. We didn't give up. Whenever we heard about sanctuaries, we imagined that they might be there, but these are places that are very difficult to find. Most of them were rumored to be outside the city, and I'm afraid I didn't get have the courage to venture beyond the city until events required it."

He nodded. "We'll never give up hope. Never."

Tony nodded. "I'm getting the sense that hope is possible again."

"Of course, it is. You are in the community of Esperanza now."

"What?"

"This is the community that Gibbs and…others created after the pandemic. We are self-sustaining. It's a very special thing to be a part of in a world like the one we live in now."

"Did Gibbs tell you what I did? Are you here to decide if I'm crazy?"

"In essence, the answer is yes. I know you are not crazy, but I think you became psychotic for a time when Ziva was pregnant. I need to assess whether you are in a healthier place now."

"Psychotic is crazy, isn't it?"

"Your psyche was overwhelmed with fear when she became pregnant. You were unable to think rationally. I have seen a couple of hundred cases of this in the last two years. Infanticide has become all too common."

"It's unforgiveable."

"And yet you are here seeking forgiveness."

"Ducky, if I'm going to keep living, I need a reason. I don't know what I can expect. I don't know what I deserve. I'm at your mercy and Gibbs'."

Ducky nodded and the two men spent moments in silence.

"Can you tell her I want to see her, even if it's only for one more time?"

"She's not here right now."

Tony sucked in breath. "Is she coming back?"

"She is a part of this community now. Of course, she'll be back."

"Until then, I wait in a cell."

Ducky leaned forward. "Bringing new members into this community is something that is done slowly and cautiously. These people have spent the last two years fighting for their lives. They found something special here and they work hard to protect it."

"I understand."

"I'm going to give you a pill, Tony. You're going to sleep some more. I want you to understand that part of your healing is for you to get the rest you've so desperately needed. You're sleep deprived. It's the first step to paranoia and then psychosis. The treatment is rest. Sleep and be safe. You don't have to fight for food or shelter. Tomorrow, I will come again. We'll talk and I'll show you what Esperanza is."

Tony took the pill in his hand and looked up at Ducky. "Please forgive me. I don't know if I can get it from Gibbs, but I'm hoping that you can offer it to me."

Ducky smiled and patted his head. "Jethro was hard before, but he's become like a piece of granite after two years of pain and struggle. However, behind all that, he is like a man who is seeing his son after a very long absence. Let him be a statue. You used to know what was in his heart. Trust that it's still there."

Tony nodded and lay down. Every instinct in his body told him to trust the old Scottish doctor.

….

McGee looked up from the plans on the table. The hydro-electric water wheel they had built had broken again, the 3rd time in two months. Problem solving and planning took up 16-18 hours out of every day. His analytical skills had become legendary, and Gibbs liked to refer to him as the spoke that kept the wheel running.

As usual, Jefferson Finch was providing pressure rather than support. Finch was a Navy pilot who found Esperanza and his family nine months ago. Rather than being grateful, he'd come into the community suspicious and impatient. He had the skills to be of great service, but tended to focus his energies on second-guessing McGee.

McGee closed his eyes while Finch leaned over the plans and pointed out the many different design decisions he would've made. McGee had long ago given up arguing with him. Finch's skills at being oppositional were finely honed, and McGee didn't have the emotional energy to fight him effectively.

Gibbs slipped in the door to the community center they created in an old storefront. He whispered something to a woman near the window, and she outlined the latest conflict.

"Clearly, this water wheel is not going to last. It's pretty obvious, McGee."

McGee sighed. "It's a good design, Jefferson. The problem is that the spring floods are sending us more water than we can manage right now. We have to cut back on our energy demands for a few more weeks, and then it will be fine."

"You don't hear a thing I say, do you?"

"I hear you. I am telling you what we need to handle the problem now. If you want to build a new water wheel, feel free, but that's not a feasible solution right now. The materials you want to use are materials we don't currently have access to."

"McGee, micromanaging every project is also not a solution."

He threw his hands up. "What do you want me to let go of? Bring it to the council. Take it off my plate. Make my day."

"You don't need to get so defensive."

Gibbs started to say something, but Jackie Vance Gibbs stepped forward first. She was holding the baby. "Jefferson, Tim is not micromanaging. People and committees are bringing problems to him, not vice versa. As an elected member of the council, I would suggest that you bring a proposal to the next meeting. It should include a solution as well as a reasonable plan to implement your solution. We will also discuss cutting back on energy."

"Of course, Mrs. Gibbs. I know how this works. It's McGee's way or the highway. Just ask your husband."

Jackie flinched when he said that.

McGee sighed. "Jefferson, I don't want to fight. We should be working together to create solutions."

"That would require you listen to something other than the sound of your own voice. I've had enough. There are lives at stake here. Do you even care about the people who've died as result of your shoddy decision-making? I will be at the next council meeting, and believe me when I say that I represent the feelings of more than a few community members."

"Finch!"

Finch turned to face Gibbs. "Well, the muscle has arrived. Are you going to threaten me again?"

"I've never known any one to talk so much and do so little."

"You can't intimidate me, Gibbs." Finch glared at them all once more before marching out of the community center.

Jackie shook her head as she rocked the baby on her shoulder. "Ah Jethro, forever the diplomat."

Gibbs reached over. "Give Amala to me for a bit. I haven't been had a chance to hug her all day."

Jackie handed her over reluctantly. "Don't wake her. She was fussy all morning."

Tim rubbed at his face. "He always brings up the accident. He'll never let me forget it."

Gibbs shook his head. "We can't go there, Tim. It wasn't your fault. We were all there. There wasn't anything that could've been done."

McGee nodded and wandered over to one of the windows. Jackie took Amala back. "Take him somewhere. He's been overwhelmed all day with different problems, and Finch was around dogging him for most of it."

"It won't look right."

"Who cares? He needs a break and he needs you. Disappear for a few hours. I'll tell people the two of you are scouting the perimeter."

"You'll watch the baby?"

"McGee will have to pry her out of my arms when he returns."

….

They rode one of the motorbikes fifteen miles up the mountain, and parked it in the brush. Then Gibbs led the way inland to a creek and they started following it up. He was silent during the hike while McGee followed him, burping out ideas on how to handle the various problems they were facing. Eventually, Gibbs found a flat outcropping of rocks over the water and he pulled McGee down beside him. He put his arm around him. "Stop talking for a little while."

McGee nodded and leaned his chin on Gibbs' shoulder. For a while, the only sound was that of the clean mountain water running past them.

Finally McGee raised his head. "Please tell me the dream. It's been a long day. I've earned it."

Gibbs snaked his free arm around McGee's waist and pulled him into him, speaking into his neck. "One day, you and I will walk away, just the two of us. We'll walk for weeks, maybe even months. I think we'll walk north. We're not afraid of the cold, you and I. We have the gear. Wherever we find communities, we'll stop, we'll trade, and we'll learn from them, but we won't stay. We'll keep going until we find space that ours and only ours. We'll find a house and fix it up. We'll plant gardens and we'll hunt. At night, we'll sit by a fire and talk about growing our home. And we'll make love just we did when we had our four days together."

McGee sighed. "Amala and Ziva and Ducky and Jackie and Tony: they can all come to stay."

Gibbs rocked him. "As long as they give us time to just be together."

"We deserve more than four days. We've worked so hard."

"Politically, we can't risk it. Finch is gaining power, and the religious movement in the community has become so fundamental. The church services on Sundays are filled with the old testament teachings, focusing on the idea that God punished us with the pandemic for our cultural sins. It worries me."

"What if we walked away now?"

Gibbs sighed. "I think most of our families would follow, but could we do that to them? This is the first peace they've had in two years. They eat regularly. They feel safe at night. Their children laugh again. It would be cruel to steal that away from them just because we're having political differences with certain members."

"You're right."

"Taking Jackie as my wife diverts attention away from our relationship, and it allows me to protect her. Jarvis' people have put a lot of energy into finding her."

"You shouldn't have to school me on this anymore."

Gibbs tightened his grip. "I know it's hard for you to believe when I spend so much of the time treating you like a colleague. If I had my way, you would be by my side every day and in my bed every night. We have accomplished so much together. We've built a community, and we fell in love while doing it. I never thought that it was possible to survive all this and feel anything other than numb."

McGee turned so he was looking into Gibbs' eyes. "Most nights, I get by remembering the four days that were ours. We only have a couple of hours now, but I need you to give me something new to remember."

Without a word, Gibbs pulled off his jacket and his shirt, and laid them on the rock behind them. He helped Tim pull off his shirt and jacket, and spread them on top of his. "I made you a bed, my love. Lay down for me."

McGee eased back on the clothing and watched as Gibbs worked his pants down his legs. Watching that beautiful cock spring forth was something he never tired of. He reached for it and massaged the tip. Pre-cum leaked onto his finger, and he brought it up to his mouth, licking it slowly. "Thank you, Jethro."

Gibbs followed the finger, kissing him deeply. Then he trailed his mouth down his torso and onto his jeans, licking his crotch. McGee jerked and groaned. "Take it slow, please. I need this to last forever."

Gibbs smiled as he tugged McGee's jeans off, and then settled in on top of him. "I could kiss you for hours."

"This reminds me of our first time," McGee said as he buried his face in Gibbs' neck, nipping the skin lightly.

"Be careful, McLovin'," Jethro said as he massaged McGee's nipples. "I can't afford to come back with a bunch of hickies."

McGee reached for his mouth. "Slow, Jethro. Let's take our time to see and touch and taste everything. Who knows when they'll let us have this again?"

…..

McGee sat with Amala as she sucked on her bottle. He looked up at Jackie. "She's so healthy. Everything about her seems so old world. She's proof that we can start fresh again."

Jackie smiled. "Sometimes, when I hold her, I think I can see Kayla as a baby again."

"Is that hard for you?"

"Remembering is good, Tim. The trick is to remember everything before the sickness. If we get stuck in those sickness memories, we won't survive."

"Being with Jethro and knowing that he understands what it's like to lose your family, does it help?"

"He knows not to try and change the sadness in me. He knows that it's a part of me now. It helps that he understands that."

Amala's mouth popped off her bottle, and her tiny hands reached for his face. He smiled down at her as she experimented with new noises.

"When can we expect Ziva again?"

"Soon, I hope. I know she misses Amala."

"It amazes me she was able to leave her."

"Ziva needs to work. She was going stir crazy."

"Are you going to tell Tony?"

He let Amala play with his long fingers. "We have to integrate Tony one step at a time. He's been through a lot."

"We all have."

Tim looked up. "You're like Jethro. Does no part of you understand what happened to him?"

"Do you remember Ziva when she first got here? Do you remember how devastated she was after what he'd done?"

McGee closed his eyes. "I always see her as so strong, and I guess I've always seen Tony as needing so much patience and understanding."

"Of course. Just remember that the fact that she doesn't show it, doesn't mean she doesn't feel it. She loved him with everything she had."

McGee cradled her tiny head as he shifted her so the baby could see Jackie. The little face erupted in a smile, and they laughed. For a few moments, they just watched her explore the world around her.

Jackie broke the silence. "We have another council meeting in two days."

"Please don't remind me."

"You do need a break, Tim. You're carrying too much."

He closed his eyes. "It's because of the accident."

"You didn't know a flash flood was coming. None of us knew. Who would expect something like that in the fall months? We're still learning what it's like to live on the side of a mountain, and we didn't know that a storm elsewhere could turn our creek into a raging river in the space of a few minutes."

McGee pinched the bridge of his nose and swallowed. "Our first celebration last fall. We had food, we had games, and we had swimming. Then a flash flood turns it into a nightmare: 4 dead, three of them children."

"You almost died with them, Tim. You jumped in after them and disappeared like a ghost. It took Jethro almost a week to find you downstream and bring you home. The whole community was in mourning. People didn't blame you. They know how much you've sacrificed."

"Finch blames me."

"Finch lost his daughter that day. He's a lost man. I keep telling myself that he'll mellow with time."

There was a sharp knock on the door. McGee smiled sadly and handed Amala to Jackie. "Sounds like I've been discovered."

She sighed. "God forbid, anyone make a decision without you."

"I want to be useful. I want to do right by them. They're my family now."

…..

Gibbs sat down in Tony's cell and watched him eat more bread and jam. "Feeling better, Tony."

Tony nodded as he chewed.

"Ducky feels good about his conversation with you. He wants to show you Esperanza tomorrow. You feel ready for that?"

"I would like that."

Gibbs sighed. "I'm not as convinced as he is. I used to know you so well that I could predict the words coming out of your mouth before you could. Now, I find you to be a complete mystery."

Tony stopped eating and watched him. "I haven't told you a single lie."

"Nor have you been completely forthcoming."

"Boss, I—"

Gibbs shook his head violently. "I can feel it, Tony! You're hiding something, and I won't let you out of this cell until I know what it is. There have been too many broken hearts in Esperanza. I won't risk it. If you won't tell me, I'll drive you 100 miles in any direction you choose and drop you off. We can agree to never meet again."

Tony looked down at the floor.

"Don't you understand? I want you here, Tony! The first heart that's going to break is mine if I have to drive you out of here. Talk to me!"

Tony lifted his head. "McGee's dad, the admiral: that's what I'm keeping from you."

Gibbs looked at him, eyes flashing. "This is it, Tony! You tell me everything now. Start from the beginning."

"The admiral is smarter than all of us combined. He was on the battleship Doolittle when the pandemic started. It had already been at sea for a month so it was perfectly quarantined. He parked it in the middle of the Atlantic, and waited us out. Stayed out there damn near a year until he was sure all signs of disease were gone. Then he landed like the Spanish in the new world. Ziva and I heard about him, but we were too engrossed in her pregnancy to pay much attention."

"I've heard he's made quite a presence in D.C."

"He and his well fed sailors took the city block by block. They weren't just conquerors. They chose carefully and took time to build infrastructure along the way. Last I knew, he was controlling 20 square blocks in the center of the city."

"Impressive."

"You know, Boss, one of the only things that don't spoil when you don't have electricity is a good bottle of bourbon. I had liberated a case some time ago and was going to use it for trade, but then Ziva left, and it came to me that I could use it to drown myself. Drank like a fool for awhile…don't remember how long. Don't even remember how or when they broke in and dragged me off. Seems I'd been summoned to the admiral's palace."

"Keep talking."

Tony took a breath. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Can't afford to leave out anything, can I?"

Gibbs leaned forward. "What did he want with you?"

"At first, I thought he wanted to know about Tim's death, but he barely asked. He did say that he'd heard about me through Tim for years, and he knew I had skills. Said he needed a person like me in his employ. He was very civilized about the whole thing in a time when most people were being hired and fired at gunpoint. Told me to walk around his city and think about it. I liked what I saw. The neighborhoods were cleaned up. Everyone I saw was working. There wasn't a gun in sight except at the borders. I thought it would be a good thing to take this job. When Ziva came back, she would see that I had grown, and I would show her that there was a place where a child could be raised."

"What did you do for him?"

"Well," Tony cocked his head. "I became a real estate agent, so to speak. Whenever he wanted to expand, I would go forth into the neighborhoods and pave the way. Most neighborhoods were decimated, and there was little opposition. In a few, there were gangs, and I became the negotiator. Cooperate or prepare for displacement. It was that simple. The admiral's mandate trumped all others."

"You threw people out of their homes."

Tony shook his head. "I didn't see it that way. It was a better life under his rule. People just needed some convincing, and once his people took over, I think most of those people were safer."

"So the admiral was a great humanitarian."

"Oh, I gave him the benefit of the doubt for a while, but then the whole thing got a little too Aryan Nation for my tastes. People who were sick or elderly seemed to disappear. I started looking into it and found out that he had incorporated his version of natural selection. If you couldn't pull your weight, you couldn't stay. I confronted him with it, and he said that the beginnings of any great society start with difficult choices."

"But you stayed with him."

"What were the alternatives? I couldn't seem to find the afterworld equivalent of Mahatma Gandhi. He was creating something better than just surviving. For the most part, I admired it."

"Then what?"

Tony sighed. "It was about 4 months ago that I was called into his office for a meeting. Jarvis was there. I should've killed him with my bare hands, but I didn't because my life was all about compromises by then, and it just didn't surprise me that he and the admiral were allies."

"What did they want?"

"They talked about an insurgency outside of D.C. that was becoming problematic. They believed it was going to threaten what they had worked so hard to build. Jarvis did a little song and dance about how I misunderstood his intentions when he disappeared Vance and shot Balboa between the eyes. I thought I was going to vomit, but I didn't. I just sat there and listened as he explained how his hard line tactics had been necessary. He tried to convince me that Vance had been stealing from us the whole time. Said he'd kept a warehouse of food and supplies from us. He told me that Vance had actually been given 1,000 doses of vaccines, but he'd only released 500 doses so he could sell the rest to the highest bidder."

Gibbs shook his head. "Huge lie! I was with him when those doses arrived. He cried like a baby when he realized how many people were going to have to be excluded."

"I didn't believe him, Boss. I know who Jarvis is. They showed me pictures of dead bodies outside of the city. Claimed that Vance was running a black market. They even showed me an astounding picture of Vance in fatigues with an automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. He looked like an Afghani warlord."

"What did they want you to do about it?"

Tony sighed. "They wanted me to find Jackie Vance and bring her back to them. They assured me that she wouldn't be a hostage. Told me they knew that she would be horrified by Vance's actions. Said she was his weakness. She would be used to reason with him."

"And in return, what were you going to get?"

"Safety. A place for Ziva where we wouldn't have to live in fear. I could name my price. They told me that Ziva was with you. My job was to come here, collect Ziva and Jackie Vance, and return with them to D.C."

"And they believed you would do this?"

"No, I think they knew that my loyalties were divided. They were playing me. I figured they would track me. They imagined I knew enough intel to be able to find your community. They were going to follow. I'm sure they were planning to ambush your Esperanza once I got here."

"And why is that not going to happen?"

"They gave me clothes and supplies, everything I would need. Before I left the city, I burned it all. I used the last of my resources to trade for new things. Then I planted myself in the building across from Ducky's condo, and I waited. A team showed up at my apartment two days after I told them I was leaving. They wanted to know why I hadn't left, and they came to find their clothes and GPS tracking devices burned into the living room floor of the condo. They left frustrated, angry. To me, it was confirmation of their intentions. That night I left the city as a fugitive. They didn't follow."

Gibbs' face reddened. "There are almost 1000 people in Esperanza now! You've risked every single one of their lives!"

"It took me three months to get here because I travelled in different directions. I circled back twice. Staked out my route. I used every tool of losing a tail that you have ever taught me. They didn't follow me, Boss."

"I'm not your boss! I'm the guy who will do anything to protect the people of this community even if it means getting of the rid of the man I used to love like a son."

"I should've told you earlier, but God help me, I can't read you anymore. You're like a statue. I felt like I had to parcel out my atrocities in pieces so you didn't execute me."

Gibbs rubbed at his face. "We've all made compromises in the last two years. You said you've never executed people. Well, I have. In that first year, I did what I had to in order to keep these people alive. I am not the man you used to know."

Tony stared at him. "What are you going to do to me? Tell me straight. I don't even think I recognize fear anymore."

Gibbs looked down at the ground for a while before responding. "You have a child, Tony. If I killed you, I would be killing Amala's father. I don't think even I am capable of that."

Tony froze. "I have a child?"

He was on his feet glaring down at Tony. "Don't say anything! I want you to spend the night thinking about whether or not you are responsible for trying to kill your child a second time. If you have put this community at risk, I will kill you with my bare hands, DiNozzo!"

He stopped at the cell door and turned. "And by the way, Jackie Vance is my wife now, and I'll not have you in the same room with her!" He slammed the door shut behind him as he disappeared into the darkness.

….

Ziva's nylon hammock swayed in the night breeze. Like the ninja she was, she hung high in the tree, and slept much like the squirrels that complained with constant squeaks about her presence. She'd learned this from an old tribal man in Africa on one of her first missions. It was hard to shift much as she was held in tightly, but it was a price she was willing to pay for a good night's sleep.

Her breasts ached terribly, and she found no position that could give her relief. She expressed the milk when she could, but it pained her that she couldn't save it for her baby. When she closed her eyes, she could see Amala's beautiful face with tiny, dark curls. She'd expected her child to have her chocolate brown eyes, but Amala had stolen eyes from her father, and she was forever seeing his curious, mischievous nature in her face. It was one of the reasons she'd pushed to take this mission. Staring into her daughter's face and seeing Tony all day left her immeasurably sad.

She thought field work would rejuvenate her and clear her thoughts, and while it allowed her to exercise her muscles, she hadn't expected such a physical ache from being away from her baby.

She stared up into the sky and prayed that her baby might have a future. It was a comfort to be with Gibbs and McGee again. They had always been such strong and safe men in her life. They both loved Amala like she was their own. She loved to watch McGee with her the most. He possessed something weirdly akin to a maternal instinct. In her first months, he was the only one who could quiet her when she was distressed. Ducky called him the baby whisperer, but McGee ignored the teasing and continued to bond with the child. Ziva wondered if Tony would've been as good with her if things had been different.

Her feelings for the man she had loved had softened. Time had helped, and so had Ducky when he explained the condition Tony had undoubtedly have suffering from. Some days, she prayed for him to find her. Other days, she remembered her first responsibility was to Amala. She would allow nothing to bring harm to her child even if it meant she lived the rest of her life with a broken heart.

…..


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This was a difficult chapter to write. I had to re-write the Jethro/McGee stuff multiple times. Tony is struggling with the choices he made and the redemption he seeks. And then there is the religious fervor. At times of great stress, fundamentalism can rise so it felt important that it be a part of a story that's post apocalyptic where people are trying to make sense of the world. None of it is meant to offend people's beliefs. I myself grew up a devout Catholic, and while my relationship has changed, it hasn't changed by decision to be Catholic. I hope you keep reading. Another old friend shows up in Chapter 4. Sheila

**Esperanza**

**Chapter 3**

Tony was at the bars to his cell waiting when Ducky came in the next day. "I have a child. I have a daughter, Ducky!"

"I know, Anthony. Calm down."

"I don't want to calm down! It never dawned on me that she was able to complete that pregnancy. I never allowed myself to think about it. How stupid could I be?"

"And how do you feel about it?"

Tony leaned his face against the bars. "Is she okay, Ducky? Is she healthy? And Ziva?"

Ducky chuckled. "She's very healthy. And she is the most beautiful baby in the world, but as a grandfather, I might be considered biased. Of course, Ziva is as strong as an ox."

"I want to see her!"

"Not yet."

Tony slapped the bars with his hand. "I want to see her!"

"Not like this. You can't meet your daughter in such a state of anxiety. You need to process your fears first."

"She's my child!"

"And Ziva has left her in our care. Please understand. Your involvement in Amala's life will be up to Ziva."

DiNozzo sagged against the bars. "She's okay?"

Ducky reached through the bars and patted his cheek. "She laughs, she smiles, and she's getting plenty of food and love. What more does a baby need?"

Tony squeezed his eyes shut but couldn't stem the flow of tears.

…

Ducky sat down next to him with a glass of water. Tony hesitated before taking it. "Tell me you're not drugging me again."

"Never without your knowledge."

"What happens now?"

"Well, I spent the early dawn hours arguing with Jethro about allowing you to tour the community, and he gave me permission. It seems a shame to put all that hard work to waste."

"Where is Gibbs?"

Ducky patted his arm. "After your revelations last night, Jethro and his security team are out in the field in force. He needs to make sure we're safe. I believe he'll be gone for a couple of days."

"You're still kind to me after all this."

"Anthony, you have made some big mistakes here, but I have always believed that you possessed the biggest heart among us. I am incapable of believing that you mean us harm. Do you understand that I can not yet bring you to your daughter?"

He nodded. 'Yes, I do. I have many emotions I have to work through. I want it to be right, and I want to respect Ziva's wishes."

Ducky shook his head. "This is all very strange. As much as it looks like it, this is not to punish you. You need to be ready for this."

"I'm ready, Ducky. Let's go."

They walked out of the jail followed by an armed man and woman. Tony ignored them. Punishment or not, he didn't question the decisions being made for him any more.

It was a beautiful spring day, and they seemed to be on the outskirts of a town that reminded him a lot of Stillwater, PA. "It feels peaceful."

"Busy is more like it. Look closely at these fields. We've planted 50 acres of vegetables already."

Tony stopped to stare at the carefully planted fields on either side of him. People were dotted everywhere on the horizon, bent over as they tended to young sprouts. "What if the weather goes bad?"

Ducky pointed to long rolls of plastic dotted with holes on the edges of the fields. "We have a resident genius, and he came up with the idea of covering our fields in case of hail. There was a plastics factory about 50 miles west of here. All we had to do was cut holes in the plastic. When the weather gets bad, everyone knows their place. They assemble, and if the word is given, then the plastic is rolled. We can't cover 50 acres, but all of the most delicate crops are planted near the edges so we can reach it first. We live and die by these gardens, and everyone takes time working in them. Even Jethro. I suspect that it might be his favorite eight hours out of every week. If we're lucky, we'll have two harvests this year."

"It's amazing."

Ducky led him onto the main street. "All of the area homes are occupied. In fact, we have a bit of a housing shortage, and so most families have to double up. We work very hard to take care of the town and honor those who died before we got here. We've created a memorial in the town square. We've created another memorial at the top of the hill over there for those in our group who didn't make it this far."

Tony stopped for a moment and looked off into the distance. "This is the first time I've seen anyone show respect to death since this all happened."

"It's part of our humanity, Anthony. We can't allow death to lose its meaning."

"Yeah." Tony found himself rubbing at his eyes again.

Ducky gestured with his arm. "These storefronts aren't really for shopping. At present, we're communal. Nothing is bought or sold. We won't have that luxury for years. We have a quartermaster, so to speak. Her team organizes and disburses all of the resources we have such as clothing, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc..."

Tony turned slowly in a circle, watching people, mostly women walking up and down the street. Everyone seemed occupied. It almost reminded him of the admiral's city. "What happens to the sick and the elderly?"

Ducky blinked. "They do what they can and we care for them."

"What if they can't contribute?"

"Mahatma Gandhi once said that the true measure of a society is in how it treats it weakest members. We wouldn't be much of a community if we abandoned people in their time of greatest need, would we?"

Tony closed his eyes for a moment. "No, we wouldn't."

"You said 'we', Anthony. I like that. We could really use a man of your talents."

"Thank you."

Ducky pointed. "Here is our dining hall. It used to be the middle school. We eat all of our meals communally in three shifts. I know it sounds a little limiting, but our food is so precious. This is truly the most efficient and least wasteful means of rationing our resources. We're very lucky to have a talented team of cooks. They are wonderfully creative. We even have refrigeration and electricity for a few key needs although we are currently experiencing a bit of a shortage. No matter, though. We get by."

"Ducky, you really seem happy here."

He sighed. "It's not the life I would've chosen for my remaining years, but I have a chance to help something rise out of the ashes. It's exhilarating. There are moments when I can almost forget what we've survived; moments when I can laugh and smile again. Perhaps, this helps you understand why Jethro acts like he does. He has breathed this ideal 24 hours a day for most of the last two years. We've worked so very hard to create something meaningful out of the chaos. Losing it at this point would be…beyond horrific."

"I understand. This is very precious."

"Come. I have a surprise." Ducky said with a twinkle in his eye. "Jethro will have my head for this, but it has to be done."

Tony followed him into a space that seemed to function as a community space. People were crowded around a table having a discussion about schooling for the children. From the tone of the conversation, people were concerned that the schooling that was happening formally was taking resources away from security and food production. It was essentially a philosophical discussion on whether or not reading, writing, and arithmetic had a place in the afterworld. They listened for a moment, and Ducky muttered, 'Barbarians' under his breath. A man sat in the middle of this debate arguing that formal education must never be abandoned, even in times like these.

Tony's vision wasn't what it was when he was young nor was it helped by a vitamin poor diet, and he squinted as he focused on the man at the center of the conversation. All of a sudden, he sucked in breath and shouted, "Probie!"

The room froze as everyone turned to look at him. Tim stood up and whooped when he saw him. Murmuring apologies, he brushed past people and came running across the room. He tackled him hard and both men ended up a heap on the floor with Ducky standing over them laughing uproariously. Tony grabbed his face and looked at him closely. "I don't understand. Why couldn't I know this? I asked about the night I got here. He looked me right in the face when I asked about your death. Why couldn't I know that you were alive?"

McGee hugged him. "It's okay, Tony. Let's find a spot so we can talk."

DiNozzo looked around the room and saw that everyone was still staring. He suddenly felt very vulnerable. "Tim?"

"Hey, it's okay, everybody. This is my friend, Tony. We haven't seen each other since the first days of the sickness. If it's okay, Martha, could you facilitate the rest of this meeting? I want to catch up with an old friend."

She nodded slowly, but the group didn't stop staring until they exited the room. Tony turned to him. "Did I just grow two heads?"

McGee shrugged. "They're suspicious of strangers."

"I just walked around this town for the last hour with Ducky, and no one gave me a second glance."

"It's kind of complicated."

"I have an office right across the street. Let's sit there," Ducky said.

"That was weird."

"Not really," McGee said.

"Oh Yes, it is, Tinothy," Ducky said with a sigh as he unlocked his office door. "Anthony, to understand the dynamics of this community, you have to see Timothy as they do…as sort of a modern day savior."

"Ducky!"

"It's true. Timothy has been with them since the beginning, working constantly; creating solutions to monstrous problems."

Tony turned to McGee. "Why was I told you were dead?"

"After Jethro and I took the families away from the Navy Yard, we spent some months at a Marine base in Northern Virginia. It was a bad time. The leadership had fallen, and we were just another group of refugees seeking shelter on an already crowded base. Groups started fighting for resources. There was looting, midnight raids, killings: it was a war zone on a military base. In the fourth month, there was a battle when forces outside the base broke through under the assumption that we had resources to spare. I was shot during that raid, and dragged out off the base by one of the gangs. Jethro couldn't get to me. Everyone assumed I was dead."

Tony shook his head. "Why would they take you?"

"They were looking for information about our supplies; hoping to torture us to find what they hadn't found when they raided us."

"And you got away."

"I was pretty badly injured. I woke the days later in back of an abandoned truck bed among dead bodies. Everyone was gone. I'll never know what happened. No one had ever searched me. I still carried the energy bars that I was taking back to our people when the raid happened. I dressed my wound, ate the energy bars, and I survived."

Ducky jumped in. "It was during this time that Jethro made the run to D.C. to collect me and Jackie Vance and buy supplies on the black market. At that point, he was very certain that Timothy was dead."

"I was alone. I couldn't figure out where I was so once I was able, I started walking. I walked for weeks, and something in my gut told me to follow a road going up into the mountains. That's when I found Esperanza. It was isolated enough to escape most of the looting. It was defendable. It had everything we needed."

Ducky sighed. "In the meantime, the struggle on the base had died down. So many people were dead, and those who were surviving were slowly starving. Jethro and I did all we could to keep people alive, but things had gotten desperate. And then one day, about two months after Jethro brought me to the base, a big farm truck rolls up, and Timothy McGee jumps out of the cab."

Tony laughed. "You were the savior!"

"We started transporting people up the mountain that very day."

"But why wouldn't Gibbs tell me he was alive three days ago?"

Ducky leaned forward. "The truth is that Jethro protects Timothy even more rigorously than he does the community. He's our resident problem solver and engineer. He has the unique ability to take a problem and break it down into manageable pieces. Our people represent many areas of expertise, but no one can put together an effective plan of action quite like our Timothy."

"That's enough, Ducky." McGee shifted in his chair.

"He needs to know this. This community has you on a pedestal. While there are perks, there are many disadvantages. You are in constant demand. You're lucky to get 6 hours of sleep on any given night. And when you don't meet their expectations…let's just say that when you're perched that high, it's quite a long distance to fall."

"Enough about that. I'm so excited to see you, Tony."

"Clearly, you haven't heard about my actions."

"I spoke with Jethro before he left today. I know everything. I understand and it's okay. We're going to move forward from this."

"Thanks."

"Have you seen Amala? She's beautiful!"

"Timothy!"

"She's his daughter, Ducky. You really think Ziva isn't going to let him see her?"

Tony shook his head. "I'm not ready yet. I don't want to screw this up."

Tim nodded. "I respect that. Uh, I guess you should know then Jackie bringing her to me about now. She has to work in the kitchen, and it's my turn to watch her. I didn't know I was going to see you."

Ducky got up and looked out the window. "She's sitting on the steps across the street waiting for you."

McGee looked at his old friend. "I'm so glad you're here. We need you so much. I need you. You know how to talk to people so much better than I do. I gotta' go now. It's time for her feeding and then she's going to need a nap. You might not be ready to meet her, but I can't imagine it would hurt to get a look at her from the window."

Tony sat frozen after McGee left. Ducky walked over and squeezed his shoulder. "Come take a look."

Tony followed him to the window. Tim was trotting across the street to Jackie Gibbs. She stood up and handed him a baby in a yellow jumper. Tony could see how dark her head was. Tiny little fists punched the air as she sat in McGee's arms and looked up at his face. McGee turned to the window and walked closer. Tony could see she was chubby and her mouth was constantly working as if she had a whole agenda worth of things to discuss. He put a hand over his mouth to stifle the sob in his throat. "I almost destroyed her," he whispered through his hand.

Ducky rubbed his back. "You were frightened and you didn't know that a life for her was possible."

McGee took a chubby little arm and waved it at the window. Amala used her other arm to grab at his fingers.

"I don't know anything about babies."

"It's just like riding a bike, Anthony."

He swallowed. "Someone's going to have to teach me how to ride this particular bike."

….

Jethro sat at the top of the hill and looked out at the stars. He had a small campfire to signal his presence. Members of his team had been checking the perimeter and talking to informants all day. So far, the news was good. Nothing unusual had been noted. He had one team that consisted of a trio of Marines that had taken a jeep 100 miles south. They were the team he was waiting for tonight. It was treacherous to travel that far, and he'd given them the best jeep and enough fuel for twice the journey. He had no idea if he was going to be waiting for another hour or for the rest of the night.

So far, all the signs were all good, and the relief he felt was profound. His desire to believe in DiNozzo was powerful, but it had been seriously damaged when Ziva had arrived eight months earlier reeling from his actions. She was almost seven months pregnant, but so thin it was almost impossible to tell until she pulled up her shirt for them. And though, Ziva had always kept her emotions tightly controlled, she'd spent the rest of her pregnancy staring out the window of McGee's house as if in a daze.

He'd always been protective of his people. He'd always considered them family. Abby and Ziva were his daughters, Tony his son, and then there was his youngest: McGee. He was the boy-man who arrived with a Navy royalty pedigree and a brain as sharp as a computer. He'd watched him mature from an awkward kid to a responsible and invaluable agent. Taking him on the mission to protect Navy families had been an easy choice. In recent years, he'd done a lot of pairing with McGee while Tony and Ziva did fieldwork. The kid had grown to anticipate his every need. The two worked together seamlessly. In those days, Gibbs had never imagined kissing a man let alone his genius junior agent.

It had with the families that things started to change. Within months of the pandemic, McGee's skills had become so valuable that he was more like a partner than an employee. And then Gibbs had seen that brave young man get shot and dragged off by marauders, and it took his breath away, hardening him more than any other act of those first terrible months.

When McGee jumped out of that farm truck with supplies and the promise of a safe haven, Gibbs felt a swell in his heart that surprised him. He kept McGee close after that. McGee was no longer just a valuable resource; Gibbs saw him as the key to their future. Ducky noticed the shift and called him a Mother hen when he fussed over McGee's diet or his sleep habits. In turn, McGee only seemed to relax when he was with Jethro.

Falling in love can happen unexpectedly. Sometimes, you don't know it's there until it suddenly grips your heart like a vise. Gibbs never felt it creeping up on him, and that's is never a good sign for an alert Marine.

It was the day of that first celebration when everything changed. No one worked that day on anything but having fun. Children laughed and people sat at tables like old friends. They'd roped off part of the creek for swimming, which was a perfect activity for the unseasonably warm fall day. There was splashing and games, and someone had even unearthed some beach toys.

Gibbs had been one of the first to hear the rumbling. It was almost like a train was coming. The sound grew louder and people froze. McGee was hip deep in water throwing a ball for some kids when he looked up the mountain and saw water spurting through the trees. His eyes found Gibbs' who yelled 'Flood!'

Parents screamed for their children who had to wade to shore. McGee grabbed two small girls and literally threw them onto the grass. There were a couple of kids still wading in from the center of the creek, and McGee was trying to reach them when the roar became an explosion and a wall of water descended on all of them. It was as if God had taken this one attempt at normalcy and thrown it back in their faces.

It took hours to account for everyone, and establish a list of those missing. It was late evening before Gibbs could gather a team and start working the shoreline with flashlights. The fact that McGee was among them left his throat thick, and at times, it was difficult to articulate orders to his team. Through the night, they found two survivors and three bodies. At dawn, there was still a child and McGee missing. They found the dead child an hour later. Gibbs would remember the sound Jefferson Finch wailing over the body of his preteen daughter for the rest of his life.

He'd convinced them all to return to Esperanza. The ache in gut was profound, and he didn't want an audience when he discovered McGee. McGee was bigger than the rest of those trapped by the water, and he figured he probably ended up much further downstream. He hiked all day and it wasn't until dusk that he spotted a white arm slung over a log. He waded in; pulling away branches and leaves until he found him wedged in the tangle, his unconscious face above water. He was white as a ghost and cold when Gibbs pulled his body from the water, and at first, he was so clear about his status that he didn't check for a pulse until he detected a tremor in Tim's limbs. It took him seconds to grab his gear and pull out blankets. He wrapped Tim as tightly as he could, and then he spooned in behind, adding his own body heat. It was a desperate night that he spent whispering words of encouragement into McGee's ear. Throughout the night, the 'you can do it, Tim's' turned to 'I can't do this without you' and 'I love you's'. He drifted off near dawn, and when he woke, he found those green eyes open and watching him.

Jethro fed him bits of granola and held water to his lips. But Tim's body still needed his heat, and he spent most of the day just holding him. At some point, Tim was strong enough to turn around, and he surprised Gibbs by wrapping his arms around his neck and burrowing his face in his neck, kissing him softly. Gibbs was paralyzed by the realization of what was happening, but there was no place left to hide the love between them. It felt natural to lift his chin and bring that lovely mouth to his.

That first night was about sleeping and waking and touching and kissing. It was first day of four that they took to help Tim recuperate and to explore what happens when men fall in love with men. Every morning, he woke thinking that one of them would snap back to reality and demand that they stop the madness, but the whole thing had become too intoxicating. The tenderness had turned to hunger, and there were few moments when they weren't in physical contact of some kind.

It was the morning of the fourth day that they realized that this was no lost weekend. Tim's head was resting on his chest after he had spent forty minutes exploring Jethro's cock with his mouth and tongue. Both inexperienced, they approached their lovemaking like a couple of kids, fumbling through until they found what worked. Still, their passion more than made up for technique.

He remembered Tim lifting his head and looking at him. "I can't go back."

"We have to. They need us."

He shook his head. "No. I can't go back to not touching you like this."

Gibbs frowned. "Do you think I want this to stop?"

"Can we be together there?"

"I don't know. It worries me. Finch's church is so fundamental. He's forever telling his people that our sins caused all of this. Homosexuality is one of his favorite topics. God knows what he'll do now that his daughter is dead."

"Let him talk. Not even half the community attends his church."

"Tim, we're both on the council. They already think you and I vote as one. If they know we're sleeping together, we'll never be considered impartial. Plus, it's already a bylaw that no spouses serve concurrently."

"We're not spouses."

"We're together, Tim."

"I'll resign."

Jethro shook his head. "They won't allow either of us to do that. It's all too new. They need what they've come to count on."

Tim swallowed. "So this has to end."

Jethro leaned forward, cupping his face and kissing him softly. "We have to hold off until the community is stronger, more self-sufficient."

"How long?"

"I don't know. We'll see each other every day. We can talk, assess, evaluate…we'll know when it's the right time."

"I don't know if I can hide this."

Jethro sighed. "I have an idea that'll take off the pressure for a while. It's a good idea. It would help me keep a better eye on Jackie Vance. I just need your blessing."

"How did this happen to us?"

"Maybe in the old world, we were too tied to what we thought love should be. Maybe here, we've been stripped so bare emotionally that those old rules don't have the same meaning. I don't know. I just know that I don't want to survive this world without you."

McGee stroked his chest. "Even if we can't have the intimacy, I can satisfy myself with the fact that we'll always be walking this world together. "

"Jethro!"

Gibbs startled out of his reverie and looked up.

One of his men stood before him. "The team you sent south is back and ready to report."

Jethro stretched his stiff legs and slowly got to his feet.

…

The streets of Esperanza were busy on that Sunday afternoon. It almost looked like the old world except that no one was shopping. It was the community's day of rest, and without entertainment like television or movies, people tended to stroll the town socializing with friends. The big event for the week was the town council meeting, and while not everyone could fit inside, people tended to gather around outside and pass along news heard from those closest to the action.

Inside, the meeting was proceeding smoothly despite Gibbs' absence. The council had made decisions on continuing formal education, expanding hunting and gathering trips to a 60-mile radius, and designating weekly space for music and theater production. McGee caught Tony's eye in the front row several times during the meeting, and Tony could feel the pride his probie felt in sharing his community with him.

The final part of every town council meeting was an open forum for community members to share issues that hadn't made it onto the agenda. As council president, Jackie Gibbs opened the floor.

A woman stood up near the back. "I wanted to again invite community members to our church services on Sunday mornings. We had a particularly rousing service this morning, and it pains that there are still empty seats in the back."

Jackie nodded. "Thank you for that, Emily. One of the freedoms we want to keep in the afterworld is that of religion. In addition to that service, there is also a fellowship gathering on Sunday evenings for those who chose to worship differently."

"But Jackie, if the whole community was going to the same service, we could grow closer. Pastor Finch welcomes all of you."

"Thank you, Emily. Anyone else?"

Another woman near Emily stood. "This is for Tim. You and Jethro have done so much for us. You've been with us from the beginning. It's sad to not have you in church with us."

Tim nodded. "Stephanie, I respect your beliefs but my beliefs differ from yours. I don't believe that the sickness was punishment from God. But I respect that you believe differently."

A man stood. "What else would explain all of this? God is all powerful. This had to have been a message. Just like the flood last fall was a message."

Another woman stood. "Listen, we don't all have to believe in your fire and brimstone interpretation of the world. A lot of us don't. Leave Tim alone about his beliefs."

A teen-age girl near the aisle stood. She was in tears. "Tim, it's so important that you start coming to church. Pastor Finch says you and Jethro are sinning. He says you are going to bring ruin upon all of us. He says your sins killed his daughter. I'm so scared about what's going to happen next."

The whole room froze at the girl's anguish. Tim started to answer, but another person jumped in. "There are so many rumors about there about you and Jethro, you and Ziva, and Jethro and Jackie. It's hard to know what to believe. Pastor Finch is very concerned about your unwillingness to marry. So many of us would love to share a home with you after what you've done for us."

"This is inappropriate!" Jackie shouted.

Tim stood, his hands clearly shaking. "Let me answer, Jackie. I want to. First, Wilma, I want to thank you for your concern. I know you're saying this because you care. And Theresa, I don't want you to be scared that God will punish us again. In life, we have victories and tragedies. I don't believe that they are necessarily signs from God."

"But what about the rumors?" shouted someone from the back.

Tim took a deep breath. "What about them? You should believe what you want to believe."

"But it would be so easy if you just—"

Tim put up a hand. "You have had my blood, sweat, and tears for two years, but you can't have this. What I feel in my heart about someone intimately is not up for discussion…ever. I can't stop you from talking about it, but I don't have to participate."

Loud voices competed for space. "No one meant to offend, Tim!" "Do you see what you did?" "You should be ashamed!" "All of this came from Finch; I can smell it!" "Sin will destroy us!" "Leave him alone!" "No one would dare pull this crap if Jethro was here!"

Tim leaned on the table and then stepped off the dais. He went straight for the door. People made to follow him, but Ducky stood, pounded the table hard, and yelled at them all to sit down. Only Tony was able to slip out after McGee.

"Hey Tim, what's going on?"

McGee turned, his chest heaving as he walked. "I can't talk about it. Please let me be, Tony."

"I want to help."

McGee put out a hand. "I know but I need space. Give me space, please."

"What can I do?"

McGee rubbed his mouth. "They never leave me alone. Tell them to leave alone. I need to walk, be by myself. Tell them not to follow."

Before Tony could respond, McGee turned and started running down the street. Every instinct in him told him he couldn't protect his probie from whatever this was.

…..

Gibbs trudged up the main street around midnight. The reconnaissance had been a success. There was no sign of an incursion from any direction. He was surprised to see battery lanterns alit in the town hall. People tended to sleep with the sun with energy being so precious. He started trotting, but stopped short when he saw DiNozzo sitting outside the hall on the steps.

"What the hell, Tony? Where's your escort?"

He looked up. "They're distracted. I can see it in your face. You know I'm telling the truth, don't you?"

"We'll discuss that later. What's happening in there?"

"An asshole named Finch in there with the council trying to save face by organizing a rescue party."

"Who needs saving?"

"Well, the council meeting was illuminating. Suffice it to say that there is a group of people who think Tim's sins and yours could cause the ruin of Esperanza. Tim was told to start attending church and get married as soon as possible. I don't know what the hell any of that meant, but it was enough to shake up Tim. He took off. Said he needed space."

Gibbs cursed under his breath. "Which direction?"

Tony pointed. "I refused to tell anyone else. Tim knows what he's doing in the wilderness so I figure he's okay. What the hell's going on around here?"

Gibbs brushed past him and pulled open the door to the hall. Twenty or so people huddled around a map and a few lanterns while Finch tried to organize a search teams. Gibbs recognized Jackie Vance and Ducky standing against the wall, arms folded. Their frustration was clear.

Gibbs grabbed the barrel of his pistol and rapped the butt loudly on the wall. "Hey!"

Everyone looked up. Finch stepped forward. "McGee ran off. We're just trying to get him back."

Gibbs glared at him. "What I wouldn't give for ten minutes alone outside with you. You ran him off."

"You're not the only one who cares about Esperanza. I'm trying to keep it safe just as much as you are."

"By scaring people? By selling an old testament version of the world?"

"The old testament speaks to the world we live in now. It was predicted in Revelations!"

"I know you've been through a lot, but we all have, Finch. It's not an excuse to grab power through fear. A vengeful god is not the answer."

"We're wasting time arguing."

Gibbs shook his head. "You're not going anywhere! Tim knows how to take care of himself. I'm here to deliver a message to you and everyone else in this community."

Before continuing, he glanced over at Jackie and she nodded. "I want everyone to know this. Tim is mine. We're together, biblically and otherwise. We didn't think people were ready for it, and Jackie helped us hide it, but now I don't care. Accept it or don't accept it. Kick us out or leave us alone. It is what it is and it's not going to change. Tim will resign from the council to meet the conditions of the bylaws. We're done pretending!"

"This could destroy us!" Finch yelled.

Gibbs turned to Ducky. "I'm going to find Tim. Tell these people that if any one of them follows us, we won't come back…ever."

Then he left, slamming the door behind him.

Tony stood there with his mouth open. Ducky brushed by him. "Close your mouth, Anthony. It's not an attractive look for you."

…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is a very long chapter with lots of different things happening. Why I don't disburse these in smaller doses is because I want you to really have a chunk of something to read. Please tell me what you think. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 4

Tony sat on the steps of Ducky's office early the next morning and watched people walk by. His status as a threat seemed to be forgotten. He spent a few hours on the couch in Ducky's parlor, but there was too much to process for sleeping.

The idea of McGee and Gibbs together was astounding, but not impossible in the afterworld. Love had taken a crazy turn for people in those weeks after the pandemic. He remembered nebbish Fred Seymour from accounting walking up to the statuesque Agent Carlson one day in front of everyone, and declaring that he intended to follow her to the very end. Capturing the elusive Agent Carlson had long occupied many agents' dreams, but no one had ever been brave enough to attempt it. She looked long and hard at Seymour, and Tony waited for her to shut him down. Instead, she beckoned for him to follow and they were together constantly after that. The last time he saw them, she was giving him shooting lessons down in the basement firing range.

People lost their inhibitions with their most vulnerable emotions. He would bet money that nothing of this kind had been brewing between the two before the sickness, but he understood how it could grow in a world that craved tenderness. He knew that romantic love sometimes grew between men who fought wars together. Gibbs had once told him that it was an unspoken, but special love that troops respected and allowed. DiNozzo might not understand it completely, but he was glad when anyone found joy in the afterworld, and he was prepared to do what was necessary to help them protect it.

Even though it was only 6 a.m., people were already stepping past him to knock on Ducky's door. He saw the same thing happening at Jackie's door. There was a sort of energy in the air, and he suspected that the news that Gibbs had dropped a short 6 hours earlier had already reached the edges of the community. Everyone seemed to feel the need to weigh in on it, which Tony found to be intrusive but weirdly understandable in this little community. He smiled and moved aside whenever someone stopped at Ducky's door, but then he saw Finch walking down the street.

Finch's flying days were over, but he still carried the swagger of a Navy pilot. Tony added it to his growing list of complaints about the man. The man saw Tony and hesitated, "I'm looking for Jethro. Has he returned?"

Tony shrugged, looking both ways. "Guess not."

"We should search for them."

"That's not going to happen." Tony had no status in this community, but he couldn't control his prickliness.

"You're not a member here yet. You have no power so I would suggest you dial it down."

Finch started past him up Ducky's steps, but then Tony was on his feet blocking him. "Sorry, Dr. Mallard doesn't see douchebags before 10 a.m."

"Out of my way!"

Tony shook his head. "It's your choice. If you want to start your day with a broken nose, I'm happy to accommodate you. Need a minute to think about it?"

"I was a Navy pilot."

"Well, I was a smart ass NCIS agent with penchant for putting away the worst of the worst. Which one of us do you think is the better street fighter?"

"This is not your business!"

"The hell it is! That kid you're going after- I raised him from a pup. He's my business and you will leave him alone."

"I'll file a complaint with the council."

"Sounds good. My last name is DiNozzo. Big D, little I, big N, little ozzo. I can spell check it for you if you want."

Finch turned and headed toward Jackie's house, but Tony beat him to the steps. "Leave her alone. It's too early in the morning for her to have to put up with you."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Go on. Shoo! You have a complaint to file, remember?"

Finch heaved a sigh, turned and marched away. Tony smiled at the retreating back as he headed back to his stoop. Only he stopped dead in his tracks at who was sitting there.

Ziva seemed smaller than he remembered. Her wild, curly mane was pulled back in a ponytail, but it hadn't felt a hairbrush in days. Her clothes were fatigues and a t-shirt, but she looked as beautiful as he'd ever seen her. "Ziva?"

She sighed. "I see your bull in a china shop approach to communication hasn't changed."

"He's an asshole."

She nodded. "I stopped and talked to a few people on my way in. I heard what happened. Why are you here, Tony?"

He worked his mouth for a moment before realizing that no sound was emitting. He took a breath and started again. "You're here."

"Have you seen her?"

He shook his head slowly. "I haven't been allowed though I did look at her from a window."

"She's everything to me now."

He nodded. "I understand."

"What do you want from me?"

He swallowed. "I don't want a life without you. I'm here to apologize. I'm here because…there's nowhere else for me to be. I want to be with you…both of you. I want to look at her and touch her."

She shook her head. "Well, you sure do want a lot of things, Tony."

"Always been that way, I suppose. Ducky says I was sick. Do you believe him?"

"Yeah, I do, but it doesn't erase what happened."

"I know."

She stood up. "I need to see my daughter now. Is she at Jackie's?"

He nodded.

She pointed a finger at him. "Don't follow me. Don't ask anything of me. If I want to talk to you, it will be when I'm ready."

He stood in the center of the street and watched her disappear into Jackie's house.

….

McGee looked up from the small campfire he was tending. "I should've known you'd come."

Gibbs slung his pack off his back and sat down. "It didn't take me nearly as long as it did the last time."

"Last time you were searching for dead bodies. It's only a three hour hike when you know where you're going."

"I heard what happened."

Tim wiped out his coffee tin and poured a cup for Jethro. "Needed to think, and this is a special place for us."

Jethro sighed. "For you, it's uncomplicated. We shared our love here. For me, it's still the place I thought I found you dead."

"Never thought about it like that." Tim had skinned a couple of squirrels and was fashioning a spit.

"Where has all this thinking taken you?"

Tim sat back on his haunches and considered the question. "I could marry Martha. She's a little older, but she understands us, and I think she would help us with this."

Jethro cocked his head. "Really? That makes sense to you?"

McGee snorted. "You got a better idea?"

"Well, you're not marrying Martha."

Tim threw his hands up. "Why not?"

"Because she can't have what's mine."

"Jethro!"

"I told them, Tim. I told Finch and others about us. By this morning, I'm sure all of Esperanza knows. I told them you were mine, and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it."

Tim studied him for a long moment. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am."

McGee laughed and pulled him into a powerful hug. "Thank God!"

"So that's what you're calling me now." Gibbs wrestled him to the ground playfully. Then he straddled him and looked down, his face changing as he stared down at him.. "I claim you, Timothy McGee. We're never going to have a ceremony nor would I want one. We just have this moment for you to know that I'll never again hide what I feel about you. For the time I have left on this world, I walk with you by my side. What do you say?"

McGee lay quietly beneath him, his hands holding Gibbs' muscled thighs. He looked up into his steel blue eyes. "I take you as my partner for life, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I'll do it with pride and love. I'll never love another person like I love you."

Gibbs grinned. "I think we just had the first gay afterworld wedding ceremony."

"We don't know what will happen when we return."

He shrugged. "If they want us, we'll stay. If not, we're still together. Can you live with that?"

Tim nodded. "As long as I am with you."

Gibbs sighed. "If I hadn't gone the last two nights without sleep, I'd consummate the hell out of this union right now, but I'm 20 years too old for such heroics."

McGee gently pushed him off, and went for his pack. He pulled out a blanket and laid it on a bed of grass under a tree, and then he pulled off his shirt and rolled it up as a pillow. "Come here. We need to get you some sleep. I'm going to start these squirrels, and then I'm going to curl up with you and keep you warm."

For a long time that morning, McGee spooned in behind Gibbs, his arm wrapped around him protectively, his hand under Gibbs' shirt and square on his chest. The rhythm of Gibbs' strong heartbeat filled McGee with calm. A year ago, he never imagined such an intimacy was possible between them, and today, it seemed like the only completely right part of his life. In a world filled with chaos, he was allowed love and contentment, and he was deeply aware of what a miracle that was.

….

Ducky attached him to a group of women working in the fields. DiNozzo had no idea what to do with foliage of any kind; it was a miracle when he could convince himself to eat it. Ducky ignored his protests and propelled him in their direction.

DiNozzo was an expert at handling women, but these were mostly widows, and flirting was not the way to go. Still, he struck a chord telling stories of Gibbs when he met him and an awkward geeky McGee. The McGee stories were especially rich because he'd changed so very much in the last ten-eleven years. Women shook their heads and challenged him when he mimicked Tim's stuttering or his naïveté about women. They roared with laughter at the idea of McGee with mom tattooed on his ass, and they asked him questions for hours about McGee and Abby.

DiNozzo marveled at their humor and resiliency. They'd been through so much, yet they found the courage to laugh and to hope. No one acted like the work was a chore. They were fully committed to their new lives. He asked questions and learned that these women had been housewives, counselors, police officers, financial analysts, and yet they crowded around when they found plants doing poorly as if they'd been farmers their whole lives. They had such a generosity of spirit and it filled him with a desire to be worthy of their regard.

They stopped for a short lunch of sandwiches one of the women had in a cooler and they sat at the edge of the field and quietly ate. DiNozzo could sense an undercurrent of anxiety among them, and he knew it was about Gibbs and McGee. These women were deeply connected to them. It was getting easier for him to understand the bond they felt as a community. Together, they'd lived minute to minute through disease, starvation, and terror. Esperanza had been every bit the hope its name had promised, and they were willing to do everything possible to protect it.

Time went a lot faster than expected for Tony, and although he never imagined he would be much of a farmer, there was something soulful about the respect the women had for these plants and the role they played in their survival. He found himself taking greater interest and care in his work as time went by.

It was early evening when a shout sounded, and everyone's head popped up. Tony couldn't make out the distant cry, but one of the women could. "They're back! They came back!"

They quickly gathered up tools and wheelbarrows, and headed toward town. Tony looked across the horizon, and saw others reacting as well. Everyone was quickly headed toward town. It took a while for his eyes to focus on the two figures heading down from a mountain trail, but he smiled when he recognized his old friends. People were already running to greet them. They stopped just short of tackling them, but Tony smiled at the hugs, kisses, and pats that they got. As the crowd grew, they fell in line behind Gibbs and McGee, following them into town. By the time, Tony reached them, there were a couple hundred people following them. Tony called out and Tim broke away, running toward him and hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy you're with us, Tony!"

Tony's throat got thick with emotion, and all he could to is nod in response.

By the time, they entered the town square, the majority opinion was clear. Tony couldn't sense resentment anywhere. People laughed and teased Gibbs and Tim about having a big wedding and a honeymoon. Gibbs smiled through his embarrassment, and he quietly said that he and Tim had already had all the ceremony they ever needed.

Above the din sounded another voice yelling, "Gibbs! Face me, Gibbs!"

This voice was shaky and angry, and the energy of it penetrated the group, and they parted to a red-eyed Finch standing in the street. "I'm here for you, Gibbs!"

People started complaining, telling Finch to go home, but Gibbs put up a hand. "Let him talk."

Finch swayed slightly, and there was an empty bottle of whiskey at his feet. "You're trying to destroy me, Gibbs."

He shook his head. "No, Finch, we need you here. You have a lot to offer. We have to stop working against one another."

"You're angering God. It's written that what you're doing is a sin."

"Bible gets interpreted a lot of ways, Finch. Preachers choose how to shape God's message. Me loving Tim isn't going to destroy us."

Finch stomped his foot. "We follow his word or we die. It is written!"

There was a murmur among the crowd and a tall, blonde woman stepped forward. Gibbs closed his eyes when he saw her bruised face. "I'm so sorry, Laura."

Finch pointed at her. "My own wife won't let me back in the house until I apologize to you. Says I've never shown my appreciation of your sacrifice."

Laura looked at Gibbs and Tim. "My husband is a good man, but he's terribly frightened. He's obsessed with Revelations. I apologize for the harm he's caused both of you."

Gibbs glared at him. "What does God says about beating your wife?"

"You turned her against me. Thou shall not have false gods before me sayeth the Lord. She puts you before the Lord."

Gibbs stepped toward him. "We won't tolerate abuse here! Ever!"

Finch pulled out a gun, swaying slightly, and whole crowd recoiled. "I care! So much more than you understand! I have to protect Esperanza against sin. It's the only way!"

Finch never had a chance to aim. Tony tackled him hard from behind, careful to grab at the gun as he did it. The gun fired into the soil and then Tony wrested it from him and tossed it toward Gibbs. The drunk Finch proved to be no match for DiNozzo, and soon he lay limply beneath him.

Tony looked up. "You want him in a cell?"

Gibbs allowed himself half a grin. "Good work, Tony. My people will take it from here."

Three security people were there, pulling Finch to his feet, and frog-marching him down the street. McGee turned to Laura. "What can we do for you?"

She looked down at the ground for a long moment. "Give him a chance at redemption. There isn't a stronger message in the bible than that."

Without another word, she turned and disappeared into the crowd. A small group of women followed her, and Tony got the sense that Laura Finch would be well taken care of.

Gibbs looked at McGee, and Tim nodded, turning to address the crowd. "Thank you all for your support. It's what makes this community so very special. We're sorry to have surprised you as we did, and we thank you for understanding. There is nothing more powerful than love, and I believe that the more love we have, the stronger Esperanza will be."

A woman stepped forward. "Some here might be disappointed that the two most eligible bachelors in town have been taken, but there are others of us that are very relieved. Some of us have found love of our own, and it isn't with men. We've been in hiding about this. Until now, no one has stood up to challenge Finch's voice on same sex love. We've feared his power, and what would happen to us if discovered. Thank you for taking a stand. It feels safer for the rest of us."

Jackie Vance emerged from the crowd. "As president of the Esperanza town council, I take responsibility for not countering Finch's views. It's important for a community to have the freedom to believe what is in their heart, but when one set of beliefs hurts others, we need to stand up and make that known. I should've taken the lead on that, and I apologize for not doing so."

Martha nodded. "This is a lesson to all of us. A strong community doesn't need a single set of beliefs, but we do need to step up and be heard when those beliefs threaten the safety of others in the community, even if we're not directly affected."

Gibbs looked around. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry. Let's go find out what they cooked up for us tonight." He pulled McGee into him and kissed him on the cheek. It was probably the biggest public display of affection he'd given since he was married to Shannon. McGee blushed and couldn't contain a smile.

….

Tony hadn't seen her since she disappeared into Jackie's house that morning, and he didn't see her again until Gibbs led them into Jackie's living room after dinner. She was curled up in a chair with Amala wrapped in a blanket. It literally took his breath away to see her so maternal. When she saw Gibbs and McGee, she handed Amala off to Ducky and hugged them fiercely. He envied the trust she had in them. Her eyes caught his briefly, but she said nothing as she scooped up her daughter again and sank back into the chair.

Tony was close enough to smell the child, and her soft, sweet scent was intoxicating. He had to physically dig his fingers into the arm of the chair where he sat to keep from getting too close. He knew better. Ziva had made herself more than clear about her boundaries.

Smiling brightly, she teased McGee and Gibbs for a few moments about their union. She and Jackie had already moved Gibbs' things into McGee's small house. Tony saw the contentment in McGee as he stole glances at Gibbs. Tony had been prepared for the passion of two men, but he hadn't imagined the sweetness that could accompany such a love. It left him with a deep longing for moments like that again with Ziva- even though his gut told him that would take something close to a miracle.

"You ready for my report, Jethro?" She asked as she held up a toy for Amala's busy hands.

Gibbs looked around the room. "Give it to us."

"I found Fornell just where you said I would."

"How is Tobias?"

"He's tired. He's trying to manage over 5,000 refugees. Supplies are low, and his people are constantly fending off attacks from other groups. He needs us and he needs us bad."

Gibbs nodded. "We're almost ready for him."

She shook her head. "He can't wait anymore. He's bringing a small group of his best with him next week. He says that it has to happen now as he doesn't have five weeks of food left to sustain his people."

"You're not ready!" Tony said. "What will we do with 5,000 malnourished people? It will bury us."

Jethro nodded. "Tobias and I started working on this six months ago. Tim knows as does Ducky, Ziva, Jackie, and Martha. We've had groups scouting, and we've found two more communities similar to Esperanza. Martha, our quartermaster, has been putting together the essentials to start those communities. My people have been transporting those supplies and hiding them on site."

Tony shook his head. "How do you have supplies for two more communities?"

"We've been stripping abandoned, small towns of resources for a year now. We didn't tell anyone else because people would demand that we use it. We're all hungry for the luxuries we miss. It would've been too much to have people know about it but not touch it."

Tim sighed. "We're going to have to meet with people tomorrow. We'll need volunteers to help these people establish their communities, and we're going to need a hospital for about 200 of the sickest here in Esperanza."

"Do you think people will go for this?"

Ducky nodded. "It will be hard, but we have to grow in order to survive. Fornell brings with him almost four hundred trained federal personnel as well as a large arsenal, something we lack. We need those people. Where they are now, there is too much competition for resources. Bringing them up here spreads the population. Makes it easier for survival. Plus, we live a nicely defendable area. There is only one road that can be used to reach us. In the end, it's better for all of us."

"How will we get everyone up here safely?"

Gibbs took a sip of coffee. "We've been stockpiling fuel, and we have trucks and three semis specially fitted. We can do it over the course of three nights along with the vehicles Fornell can supply. It's going to be hard, and in the end, people will know where we are, but we'll be prepared to defend ourselves, if other groups follow."

Tony swallowed. "This is crazy."

"We need you," Tim said softly.

He grinned. "Well, you know me. I've always liked crazy."

"Good, DiNozzo, you're mine starting tomorrow. I understand you spent the day in the fields, but I'm sure the plants will recover. I need you for some of the logistics of this."

"On it, Boss."

Gibbs couldn't hide a grin. "You earned it. I'm Boss again."

Ziva cleared her throat. "I have a bit of problem. The next few days, I'm going to be leaving early morning with my team to reclaim resources about 100 miles east of here. Going to need a babysitter."

Jackie started to respond, but Ducky put a hand on her arm. Gibbs looked at Tony. "I guess you'll be working late shift."

"What!"

"It's time you start spending time with your child."

Tony's eyes widened. "No! Ducky, tell them!"

"You won't be alone. Ziva and I talked about it. We'll take turns with you."

He looked at her. "Are you sure, Ziva?"

She looked down at Amala. "I'm not ready to deal with you, but I won't keep you from knowing her. Get some sleep, Tony. I'm leaving at 6 a.m."

….

Tim pulled his shirt over his head slowly. Even in his thirties, his torso was smooth and lean. Then he reached down and unbuttoned his jeans.

"Stop!" Gibbs sat in bed, one hand on his hairy chest as his breathing deepened. "Take those long fingers and rub your nipples. Imagine what it'll be like when my teeth are teasing them."

Closing his eyes, Tim twisted his nipples. Gibbs smiled. "You have some sort of growth in your jeans. Reach down and rub it gently. Think about what it's going to feel like when my tongue is licking it up and down."

McGee threw back his head and groaned. "I'm going to lose it, Jethro."

"Come on! You're a young guy. I'm expecting at least three orgasms out of you on our wedding night."

Breathing hard, he fixed his green eyes on Gibbs. "I need to touch you."

Gibbs shook his head. "You're unbuttoned. Now, I want you to work those jeans slowly down those long legs, but keep the boxers on."

"Oh God, you're making me do a striptease."

"What have I told you about calling me that?"

McGee laughed as he wriggled out of his jeans.

"Now, come over here and stand next to the bed. I want to see what all the fuss is about."

Gibbs reached over and put his strong hands on McGee's hips. "You're so beautiful, Tim."

He took one hand and ran it down his smooth chest and onto his groin, gently cupping his cock and balls. Then he slipped his hand in the boxers, stroking him gently. "Hold on, baby. Hold on."

Tim groaned his desire. Then Gibbs removed his hand. "Turn around, Tim."

Tim turned his back to Gibbs, and he started massaging McGee's ass. "We talked about making love with penetration. Do you still want that?"

"Yes," he panted.

"Are you sure?"

"Please Jethro! Yes. Very much. Please!"

"Okay." Jethro grabbed the waistband of McGee's boxers and tugged them down. He massaged the globes, letting a finger slip between them. "I'm going to make love to you all night, baby. We're not even going to be tired tomorrow 'cause the memories of it are going to be so fresh. I'm going to take my time here 'cause I want to make it good for you."

Tim looked over his shoulder, his whole body trembling. "Please let me touch you!"

Jethro turned him toward him again, completely naked and hard. "You're absolutely breathtaking, Tim."

Not waiting for any further direction, Tim turned and climbed on top of Jethro. Panting, he cupped the older man's face in his hands. "Take me now, Jethro."

Gibbs pulled him down and rolled over on top of him, kissing him hard. "I got you, my love. Going to take good care of you now."

….

"You're grinning like a Cheshire cat. I'm just not sure you should be holding a child with that look on your face." Tony watched Tim as he held Amala and fed her strained peas and cereal.

"You take her then," Tim said as he aimed another spoonful at her mouth. The child was unceasingly clever, and seemed to enjoy thwarting his efforts to get the food inside her mouth.

Tony grimaced. "Not ready. Guess I'll have to put up with your afterglow."

"Get over it, Tony. I'm in love."

Tony leaned closer to Amala. "Is she getting any of that food in her mouth?"

"She likes to play."

"I don't think she likes peas."

"She likes peas, Tony. Babies like peas," Tim said as he successfully landed a spoonful in her mouth.

Tony frowned. "She just pushed that whole spoonful out of her mouth."

Tim held her up and studied her. "I think she's done. Here, hold her while I get a washcloth."

"No!" Tony panicked but Tim ignored him and placed her in his lap, taking his hands and placing them so he cradled her neck and held her in.

Tony stared down at her as she smacked her lips at him and reached for his face with grimy hands. His breath caught as he realized that he was holding his daughter. A feeling shot through him unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He looked up to find Tim smiling at him. "She's very much like you. I see you whenever I look at that tiny face."

"Can I do this?"

"With my whole heart, I believe you can."

"But you'll change all her dirty diapers, right?"

Tim handed him the damp washcloth. "I just saw it on your face, Tony. You fell in love with her, didn't you? Before, you were in awe of her, but I just caught that look of fierce commitment on your face. You'll protect her to the very end, won't you?"

Unable to speak, Tony nodded at him. Tim knelt beside him, taking the washcloth and finding the food Tony missed under her chin. Then he handed Tony a toy. "She loves this."

Tony watched fascinated as she grabbed at it and slammed it against his chest in an effort to produce noise. It made him grin.

Tim sat down. "Can I ask you about my dad?"

Tony looked up, blinking. "Oh God, I forgot about that."

"Is my dad a bad guy, Tony?"

He took a breath. "I don't know. He's efficient and strong, and his city is amazing. He's tough and uncompromising. If you can't pull your weight, then you're gone."

"What does that mean?"

Tony shook his head. "I never found out."

"Did he ask about me?"

"Yes."

Tim studied him for a moment. "You're not qualifying that answer with anything. That tells me what I need to know."

"I don't know what's in your father's heart."

"That's not a surprise," Tim said as he got up. "I'm not sure he even has one."

….

Jethro knelt beside Ducky who was massaging a bump on Nell Hanson's head. "Is she going to be okay, Duck?"

He nodded. "A small concussion. I'll put her in my infirmary two days and you can have her back."

The young woman looked up. "I'm so sorry, Jethro. I never imagined. Jefferson Finch was my neighbor. He was hung over. I didn't see any harm in taking him out to the latrine."

"Not your fault, Nell. Just glad you're okay." He helped her up, and then Ducky put an arm around her waist and led her away.

Gibbs squinted into the distance. Finch had an hour head start with a stolen jeep. Gibbs thought about tracking him, but it would take a lot of resources and it would be very public. He suspected Finch would run out of gas, and eventually make his way back. For all his trouble, Gibbs' gut told him that Finch was a coward, not a fighter.

….

A week later, it was still dark when two vans drove into Esperanza with no headlights. They slowly rolled to a stop, and people quietly climbed out of the vans until there was a crowd of more than 30 people. Gibbs found Fornell at the head of the group and he hugged him. Then he gestured for the group to follow him into the town hall. Inside, there were plates of sandwiches and cookies. Jackie made sure everyone took something.

Fornell looked down at the food in his hand. "I haven't had fresh baked goods in months."

Gibbs smiled. "The cookies are a little bland. We haven't figured out chocolate chips yet."

"You didn't recognize Emily?"

"What?" Gibbs swiveled his head and saw a thin, blonde teen sitting down with four cookies in her hand. "Hey!"

She smiled up at him. "Hi Uncle Jethro!"

Fornell rolled his eyes. "She'll get up and hug you just as soon as she eats all of your baked goods."

He smiled at her affectionately. "She's welcome to whatever she needs."

"Can she stay here with you until I get settled? I'm risking a lot dragging her up and down this mountain. Scares me."

"Of course! She should be here where it's safer."

Ducky and McGee walked up, and Fornell hugged them both. And then he saw DiNozzo and waved him over. "Ziva said you were still in D.C. Glad you got out of there, Tony."

Fornell looked at Ducky. "Have you found him?"

"Found who?"

"I brought someone for you."

Ducky scanned the room. "What are you talking about?"

"I bet he never got off the van," Fornell said softly.

"What's going on?" Gibbs asked.

Fornell sighed. "Lots of rogue groups wandering up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Some good but most are the stuff made of nightmares. They steal, they rape, and they kill. A couple of groups even enslave people for work. We got intel on one of the groups being in the area a few weeks ago. I got a posse together and we raided them. We didn't show any mercy. Animals like that don't deserve it. We found about 20 people in chains including your assistant, Ducky."

"Jimmy?" He whispered.

"He's badly traumatized. He lost his fiancée to those beasts. I told him where he was going tonight, but I couldn't get any reaction out of him."

"Poor Jimmy!"

"Let's go get him," Tony said, starting for the door.

"No!" Ducky put up a hand. "We can't overwhelm him. Please, let me take care of him."

Gibbs nodded. "Duck's right. Let him take the lead."

Fornell climbed into the dark van and lead Ducky to the back. A thin, pale figure sat in the corner of the last seat staring out the window. His curly hair was gone, replaced by short stubble, and his wire-rimmed glasses were missing. He didn't look up when Fornell approached. "I brought Ducky."

Jimmy shook his head. "Please don't waste your time, Dr. Mallard. I'm not going to stay."

Ducky sat down beside him. "I've missed you, Mr. Palmer. It did this old heart some good to hear that you were among us still."

Jimmy's mouth twitched. "They raped her and I had to watch. And then they killed her. Because I was a doctor, they let me live, and I was forced to stay and help them survive. Living is punishment for me. Tell me it's okay to join her. I want to but I can't seem to find the energy to get there."

Ducky heaved a shaky sigh and took Jimmy's hand. "You've always taken my advice, my boy, and while you're no longer my assistant, I have further direction to give you. I can't grant you death because we need you so desperately. Tonight, you'll come with me to my home, and you'll eat some real food. Then you'll sleep. Tomorrow, we'll start all over. Day by day. Do you understand?"

His voice was barely a whisper. "But it's so painful."

"To lose you, my very best friend, so quickly after I have found you again would break my fragile heart. Grant an old man some happiness, Jimmy."

Slowly, he nodded and looked at Ducky. "For you. Only for you."

….

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

17

A/N: Sorry so late. I was on the vacation from hell. Another looong chapter. Lots of things are happening here, and there will be more twists to come. I haven't forgot Abby. She comes into the story in a very unexpected way. Please let me know if you're still reading and what you think. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 5

It took a couple of hours to get everyone fed and farmed out to the various homes as guests. Gibbs sat across from Fornell at the council table and sipped coffee while the others gathered. They looked at each other, but said nothing. The weariness in their eyes told such a long story of forever fighting to keep others safe that it was unnecessary to give voice to it. Fornell kept an arm around Emily sleeping against his side.

Ducky came in after sedating Palmer, and sat down without a word to anyone. Tony handed him a cup of coffee, but he could barely muster up a nod of thanks.

Martha sat down next to Fornell and shook her head, "These figures are off. We're expecting 1200 more people than you have here."

Fornell worked his mouth for a moment before speaking. "Our numbers were ambitious."

Gibbs caught something in his expression. "Tobias?"

"Cholera epidemic last month took almost a thousand people. I'm sorry I didn't give Ziva more accurate info…I was a little overwhelmed."

"1000 people," Tim whispered.

"It was like re-living the early days of the pandemic." Fornell looked down at the table.

"Diane?"

He look at Emily. "It took her and that goofball of a husband the first week. It almost took Emily too, but kids are resilient. She already looks like a regular teen-ager again."

Gibbs closed his eyes and Tim reached over and put a hand on his arm. "We're so sorry, Tobias."

"5,000 was too ambitious. I was shortsighted. Thought I could save everyone. Kept them too close together. It was a recipe for disaster when the cholera hit."

Ducky shook his head. "There was no way to know, Tobias. If you'd spread them out more, gangs like the one that preyed on Palmer and his dear Breena would've taken them."

Martha sighed. "Where did the other 200 go?"

"Orphans…not working age. There's a monastery in Delaware willing to take them. I'm trying to be smarter now. You're already doing so much for us, and we already agreed on what percentage of new settlers had to be productive."

Everyone got quiet until Jackie Vance slammed the table with her palm. "Do you even know how many of us lost our children? Do you have any idea? They just lost their parents! You can't just…you can't do this. Bring them, Tobias. I'll find homes for each and every one of them. I'll find them families!"

Tobias looked at Gibbs. "Jethro?"

Gibbs looked around the table. "What do you say, people?"

Martha whispered in Tim's ear and he started scribbling furiously.

Ziva nodded, "My team will up our quota of reclaimed resources."

Tim and Martha looked at his numbers. Then McGee looked up "We have less people to feed at the outset with these new numbers, but productivity will be down as well. Still, we think we can do it. We're going to have to re-organize day care and we'll have to revisit changing the working age to 12 as long as we keep it to only a few hours a day."

Jackie was teary. "We have to do it. I'll take as many as I can."

Jethro nodded. "It's settled then."

Fornell straightened up. "Are you sure?"

Gibbs smiled at Jackie. "I know better than to argue with an ex-wife."

….

McGee sat on the bed, watching him sleep for a few moments before reaching out and stroking his cheek gently. At the touch, Gibbs woke with a start, lifting his head and squinting. "What time is it?"

"4 p.m."

Gibbs sat up. "Oh God, the day's almost gone. I told you to wake me at noon."

"It's okay. We managed just fine. You and Fornell talked until almost 8 a.m. Never saw two people more in need of sleep."

"Everything's okay?"

McGee smiled. "Yeah, it's good, Jethro. We split his advance team and put them and the volunteers into trucks this morning and sent them off. Martha and I will drive over tomorrow to check on them."

"We're using a lot of fuel."

"I know but Martha is very conservative with supplies. I trust her."

"How is Jackie doing with finding families for the kids?"

"Well, we have to think it through a little. We'll house the kids in the elementary school for the first couple of weeks, but we've had almost 60 people express an interest in adopting. We don't want people picking out kids like it's a pet adoption. We have to make thoughtful matches. Jackie has a couple of social workers that are coming up with a process, but I think we can make this work."

Jethro nodded. "How are you? Did you get any sleep?"

"A few hours. What do they say… 'you'll sleep when you're dead', right?"

Gibbs put his arms around McGee and pulled him back into the bed. "No one says that who really understands how hard we work."

Tim closed his eyes for a few moments while Gibbs breathed into his neck. "How's Palmer?"

Tim opened his eyes. "I haven't gotten to see him. Ducky is keeping him under wraps. I'm trying not to think about what he…suffered…losing Breena. It's so horrible."

"It's the world we live in now."

"What were you and Fornell talking about?"

"We have to bring these people up in three trips. Some of his key people were taken by the cholera. DiNozzo and I are going to take a team down and provide security those three nights with Fornell. By the third night, they should be onto us. There could be some real resistance."

McGee nodded. "I'm not bad with a gun. I'll come along."

"No Tim, we need you here. You're our organizer."

"Hey, remember how you agreed that we walk this world together? This is part of it."

Gibbs stroked his hair. "Now you're acting like I'm not coming back. That's not going to happen. Got too much to come back to."

McGee took a deep breath. "You know, people don't understand this thing between us. They think it's some kind of phase, a reaction to our circumstances. Maybe they think it's only sexual…I don't know, but if I lost you…"

"Shhhh!" Gibbs put fingers to cover his mouth. "In a world like this, we only have the day that's in front of us. I know all about losing everything, but we can't live with that fear looming over us. We have to just be grateful for today."

"I want to go. I want to have your six."

Gibbs shook his head. "No, you're needed here."

McGee tried to roll away from him, but Gibbs held him tightly. "I'm coming back, Tim. I promise."

Tim relaxed after a moment.

Gibbs leaned into his ear. "And as for people not understanding us, I don't give a damn. I mean it. When I told the council my feelings for you- that was it. I let go of any questions I had about us. I want you to do the same. I don't need anyone else to understand this. My love for you isn't anyone else's business."

Tim turned in his arms. "You're right…as usual."

Gibbs buried his face in his neck. "You smell good, Tim."

McGee grinned as Gibbs began kissing his neck. "Fornell's waiting downstairs."

Gibbs lifted his head and growled, "Bastard."

Tim leaned in and kissed him. "It's okay. We'll find a few hours for just us."

…

He dressed her up in a yellow dress with lace and puffy sleeves. Despite her green eyes, her skin had Ziva's olive tone to it and he liked the contrast. He had to admit he liked the fancy dress on her even through she reciprocated by sucking on the lace and wiping her dirty fingers on the taffeta.

They were two peas in a pod these days. He wanted to be with her constantly. He felt an actual ache in his chest whenever Ziva came for her in the afternoons. At times, he wanted to ask for more, but he knew not to push it. Ziva needed to see the man he was becoming, and it was only through his actions that she would know the kind of father he could be.

He ran his fingers through the curls that had begun to sprout on her head, and put her in the pouch attached to his torso. Macho Tony DiNozzo had become a baby mule, carrying her around Esperanza as he grew to understand his job, and he couldn't have been happier about it. People loved Amala and she was helping him make all kinds of connections.

He turned to see Ziva leaning against the door. He looked at his watch. "I thought I still had her for another three hours."

"That dress is ridiculous, Tony."

"Someone named Anita gave it to me. It's beautiful."

Ziva came over, chuckling, and lifted her out of the pouch. "It is pretty, but she isn't going to a party. The poor thing can barely move her arms."

Within a couple of minutes, she had the frilly dress off Amala, and was dressing her in a knit jumper. Tony watched the ease with which she handled Amala. He had taken little time over the years to picture her as a mother; it was truly a beautiful thing to witness.

"Are you taking her?"

Ziva looked up. "No. It's your time. I just wanted to talk if you could spare the time."

He nodded, following her out to the living room. She put Amala on a blanket on the floor, and for a moment they watched as the busy baby rolled over and over. Ziva smiled. "She's days away from crawling. Everything will change then. People tell me that she can disappear in the blink of an eye once she gets mobile. We'll have to watch her carefully then."

"You don't have to worry, I can't keep my eyes off her as it is."

"I'm not worried, not about that. I just ran into Jethro and he said you were going to be part of the team going down to retrieve Fornell's people."

"Yeah, we're heading out in a couple of days. I was thinking Fornell's girl, Emily, could babysit for those days."

"You think we're having this conversation because I'm worried about babysitting?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. What are you worried about?"

"I asked to be on the team and he refused. He said that he'll never put you and I on the same team again."

Tony leaned forward watching her carefully. "Doesn't that make sense to you? We share a child."

"Gibbs and Tim would never let her be an orphan."

"Are you serious? I lost my mother when I was eight. I still dream about her- her sweetness and her smiles. I remember her touch and…it brings me to tears every time. Do you really want to do that to her? Just watching you with her- she breathes in your love. Can you imagine taking that from her? Do you think she wouldn't notice?"

She swallowed. "I just don't want you to go without me. I want to have your six."

He cocked his head. "Oh, I'll be back. I'll promise you that. I have a future here with a daughter I almost destroyed in a place where living is possible. I've been given a second chance, and I'm not letting go."

"I'm not promising you anything between us."

"Not asking you to—"

A crash sounded and both of them turned to see Amala several feet off her blanket dragging a lamp off an end table by the electrical cord. Tony dived for the glass lamp catching it a second before it landed on the child. He righted the lamp and scooped up the baby. "So the 'watching her carefully thing'- I think we've hit the starting gate on that idea."

….

Ducky sat across from Jimmy as they ate beef stew brought to Ducky's quarters by one of the cooks. Ducky had asked that accommodation be made for the first few days Palmer was with him. Jimmy seemed so distant and fragile- Ducky was truly afraid to let him out of his sight. He took him along everywhere. They spent most of their time setting up the new hospital for the arriving settlers, and while Jimmy assisted when asked, he seemed disassociated from the process. Mealtimes were such social occasions that Ducky felt that it was there that Jimmy was most at risk at being overwhelmed.

The stew was simple but filling. Ziva's team had brought in a herd a few months back, and a group was formed to start breeding cattle and other livestock. An old cow was slaughtered a week ago, and the cooks were using every possible part of the animal in the kitchen. They were even experimenting with a headcheese recipe from the library archives of pioneer recipes, and while Ducky had a rather distasteful memory of it from his Scottish childhood, he applauded their ingenuity and was grateful for whatever was placed in front of him.

Jimmy ate sparingly. Ducky let the silence stand for most of the meal, and he was startled when Jimmy was the one to break it. "Is it your hope that I stay?"

"Very much."

Jimmy sighed. "I don't want to get connected here. I can't start caring about all of these people."

"We need you."

"Dr. Mallard, you think you still know me but you don't. Not anymore."

"Not true, Jimmy. You've been badly hurt, but you can come back. It can be done."

There was a knock on the door, and Ducky got up to answer. He returned with Gibbs behind him. Jimmy stiffened visibly. Gibbs sat down at the table with his ever-present cup of coffee. "Sorry to bother the two of you, but I was wondering if I could have a little of Palmer's time."

Ducky nodded. "I think that's an excellent idea. I have to get back to the hospital. Jimmy, it's my sincere hope that you'll join me there when you're finished."

Palmer kept his eyes on the table. "You wondering what I know about Abby."

"She was with you and Breena the last anyone saw her."

Jimmy shook his head. "We couldn't sit in that condo anymore. There was so much suffering. Abby said that Sister Rosita was taking refugees to a convent outside of D.C. They needed able-bodied people to help. We decided to join them."

"Did you get there safely?"

"Some of us did. Abby's group was attacked. She finally got there days after we arrived. She wouldn't tell us what happened, but she looked pretty banged up. I tried to examine her but she resisted. She just went straight to work with the rest of us."

Jimmy took a breath and finally met Gibbs' eyes. "We were crowded into these small rooms at night. Breena and I worked in a makeshift hospital maybe 18 hours a day. Each day, we got a piece of bread and some broth. We saw Abby briefly every few days. She was becoming so different. She wasn't playful anymore; she was very serious."

"It was a very serious time."

Jimmy shook his head. "It wasn't just circumstances. She wore a St. Michael medal, and she was constantly touching it. One day, she told us that she had to get rid of who she was in order to survive. We didn't really understand, but she didn't want to elaborate. As time went on, we saw her less and less. I went looking for her one day, and Sister Rosita said that her mission was in the city, and she wouldn't be back. That's the last we heard about Abby."

"Where's the convent?"

He shook his head. "It was destroyed in the attack where Breena and I were captured. Burnt to the ground. I can remember the screams from those who couldn't make it out."

Gibbs sipped his coffee while Palmer stared down into the cooling stew on the table. Finally, he looked up, wincing. "Every day, I wake up and it's like trying to see the world through layers of filth and pain. It's excruciating. I just want to close my eyes and go home to her."

"Drug dealers killed my wife and daughter. I knew that they were witnesses to a crime, and the minute I had that realization, I should've gone back to the states and taken them some place very far away."

Jimmy looked at him with sad eyes. "They don't blame you. I know they don't. I saw Breena's eyes when she was dying. She didn't blame me, not even a little bit."

"Dying is an easy path for guys like you and me, Palmer. Living through something like this is what takes real courage."

"Do you think they watch you?"

Gibbs' mouth twitched. "I don't know if they do, but I do know that I'm still accountable to them. I know that I have to live my life in a way that they can understand…and even be proud of me."

Tears fell on Jimmy's cheeks. "I want to know if she's with me, Gibbs. I want to feel it."

Gibbs nodded and reached over, squeezing his hand. "She'll be with you if you keep her in your heart. I believe that. You have to keep working on being the man she always loved."

Jimmy shook his head. "You were able to do this?"

"I don't know. I changed. I struggled. I drank. Shut down. Hurt three decent women. Eventually I grew, and I like to think they can see that."

"You asking me to climb Mount Everest."

Gibbs shook his head. "I'm only telling you that it can be done, Jimmy. I'm telling you that she doesn't leave your heart, but if you keep her there, you better be prepared to do right by her."

Jimmy dropped his face into his hands and began to sob. Gibbs patted him on the back. "I'm going to leave you now. You need to feel this by yourself for a while. We need you. There's no doubt about that, but you have to be willing to fight for this."

Gibbs stopped at the door and looked back at him. "Ducky loves you like a son. It's not just Breena you have to answer to. Remember that."

…..

Dawn was beginning over the horizon, and birds were beginning to wake. McGee paced the road going out to the highway. Most of Esperanza was awake. Few had even attempted sleep. People were at their stations waiting to welcome new settlers with food and medical care. Fornell's tired refugees would spend the day in the elementary school resting and getting assessed for skill level and need. Then they would be sent off to their new communities within 24 hours. It wasn't ideal but it was the best way they could think to organize resources.

Ziva came striding up, holding Amala tightly to her chest. "Where are they? They were supposed to be here by 3 a.m. It's 5:45 a.m.!"

McGee scanned the horizon. "3 a.m. was optimistic."

"They could've met resistance. They might be fighting for their lives and we're sitting here waiting with peanut butter sandwiches. This is not who we are!"

"Shhhh! Ziva, the baby has been awake off and on all night."

Ziva looked down at Amala and rocked her for a moment. Then she turned to Tim. "We'll grab a jeep and guns. If they're pinned down, we can help."

"Great! We'll have Amala drive."

"You used to be in the thick of it, Tim. Now, you just act like an administrator."

McGee closed his eyes and looked away. Ziva shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

He turned on her. "We're not going, Ziva, because I have faith. Jethro said he was coming home and I believe him."

"They need us!" Ziva said. Amala stirred, her green eyes popping open.

McGee opened his arms. "Give her to me. You're too wired."

Ziva handed him the waking baby, and he wrapped her into his chest, rocking her softly. "You are better with my child than I am."

He shook his head. "Don't do that. I hate it when you try to convince yourself that you don't have to be the one to raise her. Nobody can do what you do as a mother. Nobody."

She shook her head. "I want to do something!"

He squinted at the horizon and then smiled. "Why don't you help them unload?"

Trucks started to appear, lights off, in the early morning light.

….

It was clear from the moment people unloaded that things had gone terribly wrong. The trucks weren't nearly as full as expected. Too many people came off on stretchers. Ziva found Tony helping to carry stretchers into Ducky's hospital. She grabbed him when he put down and looked him over. He was covered in grime and smelled like gunpowder. There was a gash on his forehead and she dabbed at it with her finger and her breath caught. "That was a bullet."

He pushed her hand away from his forehead and pulled her to him tightly.

"What happened?" She breathed into his shoulder.

"Where's Amala?"

"Tim has her."

"Get her, Ziva. Please get her."

Ziva leaned back and stared into his face. Then she turned and disappeared into the crowd of people. She returned a few moments later with Amala, and he reached for her. He held her tightly and looked at Ziva with wet eyes. "The refugees were under attack by the time we got there. It was horrible. Bodies everywhere, some of them children. We were only able to get half the people we thought we could. Fornell and a group of our security people stayed. We're not going to wait for nightfall. They'll never last that long. There won't be a third trip. We're leaving again in four hours and then it's done."

"I'm going with you."

He pulled Ziva into Amala and hugged them both. "The only reason I'm alive is because I have this beautiful child and this extraordinary woman to come home to. You're not coming with me because she comes first, Ziva. She's always going to come first."

….

They were glued together skin to skin, Gibbs spooning him from the back on the bed. Gibbs nuzzled his face into Tim's neck and lay there quietly. There were no words between them when Gibbs pushed him toward the house. Inside, Gibbs pulled at his clothes while McGee struggled to hang onto him. McGee had seen the haunted faces of the people coming off the trucks and asked no questions. Then they were on the bed making love with a ferocity that left them both bruised and breathless.

McGee wrapped his arms over Jethro's arms tightly, determined to prolong their time togther. Behind him, Gibbs shifted and he felt fear flood his gut. Gibbs rolled him onto his back and looked down at him. "I have things to say to you."

McGee shook his head. "We'll talk when you come back."

"It's important, Tim. I want you to know these things."

He swallowed. "It's okay. We have all the time in the world."

Gibbs put two fingers to McGee's mouth. "I have to say these things."

McGee bit his lip and nodded.

"I love you, Tim. I've loved before in my life, but it's never been like this. I feel good every time I see you. I admire you. I trust you. I can't imagine a day without you. I know just as sure as the sun comes up in the morning that we were destined to be together, and I thank God that we allowed ourselves to see that."

Tim ran a hand up his neck and onto his face. "We should face this together."

Gibbs kissed his palm. "We can't. It's why husbands and wives can't be on the same team. They are distracted by the need to keep each other safe. It puts them both in danger."

"Promise me you're coming back."

"I'm going to do everything I can to get back alive."

"You can't make me a promise, can you?"

He shook his head. "Not with what we're returning to, but you can. You have to promise me that if anything happens, you stay with this community. Promise me that you'll stay. The work will save you."

Tim looked away.

Gibbs grabbed his chin and pulled his face back to his. "Promise me, Tim. I know this community will take care of you."

"Not without you."

"Promise me. Before I go back out there, I need this from you."

Tim tried to scramble away but Gibbs held him tight. "I'm going to do everything I can to make this work. I just need to know that you'll be okay if something happens."

Tim looked at him silently for a long time. "I promise you I'll be there when you return. I won't leave this community without you."

Gibbs cupped his face and kissed him slowly. "Thank you, my love."

…

The truck was running hard taking every bump in its path. Each time they bounced, a groan rose up from behind the cab. DiNozzo was wedged back there next to Fornell who had an ugly red hole in his left side. Another bump and Fornell howled. Tony grabbed another wad of gauze and added it to the ones he held over Fornell's wound.

Fornell looked at him with feverish eyes. "I'm not going to make it, am I?"

"You're doing fine."

"Where's Gibbs? I want to talk to him about Emily."

Tony turned away. The second trip was worse than the first. They hit gunfire the minute they stopped. Fornell hid what refugees were left in the forest, and they had to run across a field to get to the trucks. Gibbs and his people took up positions behind the trucks and provided covering fire. People ran toward them as fast as they could, but at least half of them were gunned down before they got to safety.

DiNozzo saw Fornell go down, and then one of his people slowed, hooked him under his arms, and pulled him the rest of the way. Tony pushed him into the cab of the truck before returning to cover people. It was a five year-old girl that changed everything. She seemed to running by herself, no adult near her in any direction. She got halfway across when she tripped and landed hard in the tall grass. Tony watched as she sat up in the grass crying. He yelled at her to get up and run, but she was too little to think for herself. Tony got up and started toward her when he saw Gibbs get up from a position to his left. Without hesitation, Gibbs ran hard and low toward the child. Tony turned his attention to covering him with gunfire. Gibbs got all the way there, scooped up the child under one arm, and turned around. Then a bullet hit him square in the chest. He fell back as if in slow motion while Tony stood up and screamed. Gibbs hit the ground and rolled toward the child, pushing her to her feet and pointing at the truck. The little girl started running. Tony ran forward, grabbed her, and pulled back as gunfire erupted in the ground around him. He put her in the truck, and started to run toward Gibbs when a voice stopped him.

He turned as one of Gibbs' people told him that the trucks were full and ready to go. She looked to him for direction. It was no longer just about him or Gibbs. There were at least 500 people waiting, and he'd just been elected sheriff. He looked one last time, but Gibbs wasn't moving. Slowly, he turned and signaled for the convoy to move and, as leader, he grabbed the door handled on the last truck and swung himself up.

"Where's Gibbs?" Fornell lifted his head when Tony didn't answer him.

Tony turned his head slowly and looked at him. "He didn't make it, Tobias."

….

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I felt like writing this week so you're getting a chapter way before you deserve one. Just kidding. It's full of angst and while I know where I'm going, I allowed myself to travel to a very sappy little place. If it destroys your faith in the story, feel free to let me know. Talk to me anyway. Love to hear from you. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 6

Tony slid out of the truck as it came to a stop, but his legs failed him and he crumpled to the ground. Jackie Vance Gibbs was the first to reach him. "Are you injured?"

He accepted her hand and stood up unsteadily. His emotions filled his throat.

"How bad?"

He looked into her eyes. "Bad. Gibbs…gone. Fornell's bad. I need a jeep. Going back. Gotta' get my boss."

She grabbed his shoulders. "Slow down, Tony. You can't panic."

"I'm going to take a jeep and some guns. Be back in a day."

She shook her head. "Can't do that, Tony. This is too big. People are going to be scared. Jethro gave you responsibilities. You have to show people that you can handle them."

"Can't leave him there…Had to bring people here…but now I gotta' do this."

"Hold it together. People knew how much he trusted you. I'll call an emergency meeting. I need you there to help me talk to people. Make him proud, Tony."

"Are you feeling anything!?"

She shook her head. "You have no idea."

He took a breath and calmed himself. "Tim?"

She shook her head. "You're early. He won't be back from the second community for another hour."

"Daddy! Daddy!" They turned to see Emily Fornell running from truck to truck yelling for her father.

Jackie ran toward her and scooped her into her arms. "It's okay, Emily."

"Where's my daddy?!"

Tony turned to the two guys lowering Fornell from the cab. He was unconscious and hung limp in their arms. "Get him to Ducky fast. Bullet wound to the abdomen."

Emily broke away from Jackie, but Tony caught her before she could grab her father. "Let them do their work, honey. It's okay."

The young teen collapsed in his arms and sobbed from a place deep and primal, and Tony was reminded that she lost her mother only a month earlier. Jackie came over and pulled the child off him. She hugged her tightly and spoke to him. "You need to gather everyone from the mission into the community center. We need to do a count on casualties and then we need to make some decisions."

Tony nodded. The pain was clear in her face, but her calm infused him with purpose. He turned to collect people and he saw Ziva staring at him through the chaos of refugees and wounded. She was covering her mouth with her hand. She didn't need to be told what happened. He started toward her, but she shook her head and walked away.

….

Tony looked over the room. People sat in chairs, in the aisle, and against the walls. Some of them were injured, and should've been in Ducky's hospital, but Tony knew that even if there was space in the hospital, they would have here for this.

Jackie sat beside him, Emily Fornell's head resting in her lap. She massaged the teen's back softly. He looked at Jackie and she nodded. Without standing, she addressed the room. "We need to debrief. It was a tough day. Let's start with casualties."

A woman from Gibbs' team stood. "Fifteen people sustained injuries. We lost seven people including Jethro."

Sound rose in the room ranging from tears to shouting. Tony knew he'd have to face them, but his throat was thick with emotion. Jackie waited for the noise to lessen and raised her voice again. "How many people did we bring in?"

The same women responded. "880 tonight in addition to the 732 last night. It's less than half that we'd hoped to bring up."

Jackie nodded. It would be easier to integrate this number of people than what they'd originally estimated, but saying so seemed disrespectful to the lives lost.

Tony took a deep breath and stood. "You've all fought with honor and courage. Gibbs would be very proud of you. I haven't known you long, but I feel very proud to be in your company…I've known Gibbs, or Boss as I've always called him, for many years. He taught me so much. I owe him everything. Leaving him back there feels wrong to me. I need to go back and get him. I'm not asking for support. I'm good with a gun. My plan is to go in, find him, and get out."

The room erupted. "Do it, Tony!" "We can't lose more people!" "We should all go!" "We owe it to Jethro." "We have to remember what he taught us!" "We have to think smart! They have to know where we are by now."

Then a tall, thin African American woman drowned out the rest of the voices. "I've worked for Jethro since the beginning. Like you, I learned everything from him. He talked to us many times about this very eventuality. Remember what he taught us. We can't be blinded by our loyalty to him. Our responsibility is to the community first and foremost."

Tony nodded. "That's why I would go alone."

She shook her head. "It's not that easy, Tony. You're one of us now. Jethro talked to me about this just yesterday. He told me that if anything happened to him, you would lead us home. He told me that you are the one who can carry on what he started."

"We hardly even know him, Cassie." Came a voice from the back.

"Jethro's gut is never wrong. If he told Cassie that, I say we trust him."

A roar of opinions went up and Tony waved his arms until people calmed. "I appreciate Gibbs' confidence, but this is a big responsibility."

Cassie put her hands on her hips. "I loved Jethro Gibbs. I would've followed him into hell, but I have three kids living here, and I need to protect them. I was the closest thing to a deputy that he had, but I don't have the training and the skills that you do. I will help you and I will follow you, Tony. Esperanza needs you!"

Tony felt as if he was being carried away by forces he barely understood. He had an urge to jump off the podium and run for the nearest jeep. Then in the back of the room, he saw Ziva watching him, Amala in her arms.

A man stood and waved his arms for calm. "My name is Williams. I'm new here. I've been on Fornell's team for nine months. We spent weeks getting ready to come here, and the closer we got, the harder the resistance from the area gangs and the forces from the Emerald City."

"Emerald City?"

"That's what we call the group who has control of much of D.C. "

"I don't understand why they are trying to kill you. They're trying to build something just like we are." Came another voice in the crowd.

Williams nodded. "They wanted us to assimilate, but it wasn't much of a deal. In their city, there aren't the freedoms you have. Assimilation for us meant that we would become farmers for the sole purpose of feeding the Emerald City. Our own needs would've been secondary. We have seen them do that to other groups of refugees, working fields like slaves. They also only allow the able-bodied to be a part of their city. The forces that were attacking us in the last week have been primarily Emerald City. Since we wouldn't join them, we became the enemy. Destroying us keeps Esperanza from becoming stronger."

"What do they want from us?" A woman behind him asked.

"They want what you have. The city doesn't have access to farming like you do. They are fighting for food right now. Make no mistake. They're coming here. The only God they serve is ultimate power."

Cassie looked up at Tony. "We can't afford to lose you."

Williams nodded. "Tony, it's been almost 5 hours. Even if Gibbs survived in the grass, the outcome is not good. I know how the Emerald City forces work. They put no resources into the wounded. They'll shoot him dead, stack all the dead in a pile, and burn them to prevent disease. I've seen them do it. There is no rescue for Gibbs."

The room went silent, the only sound being that of people trying to stifle their tears. Tony found Ziva's face, but couldn't read her. She stared back at him like a statue. The door to the back opened and a breathless McGee stumbled in. He scanned the room until he found Tony. "Tell me it's not true, Tony. Please Tony!"

Tony started off the podium. "Tim!"

McGee backed up to the door, pushed through it and ran down the street.

…..

Tony chased him through the dark streets, but he was beyond exhausted. He yelled Tim's name in every direction, but there was no reply. Tony closed his eyes, imagining where Tim would head in a moment like this. Then he cursed and ran toward the motor pool.

They had a limited number of vehicles, and all were controlled by Martha, the quartermaster and her team. At first, he heard nothing as he approached the trucks. Then he saw Martha standing near her office. As he got closer, he could see that the woman was clutching her gut as tears ran down her face. "Is he here?"

She nodded and pointed. "He won't get very far. Jackie had me pull all the spark plugs from the vehicles when she heard the news."

He heard the sound of a motor unable to catch and he trotted off in that direction. He found Tim leaning over the steering wheel of a jeep, pumping the gas pedal. Tony walked closer and said softly. "Martha pulled the spark plugs."

Tim squeezed his eyes shut and moaned. "Is that a joke? Is this a joke to people?"

"Probably designed to keep me from running off just as much as you."

Tim dropped his forehead into the steering wheel. "He had a feeling. Kept wanting me to promise that I would be okay if he didn't come back. How did he know?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't think he knew, but I think we all knew it was going to be bad. He felt responsible for all of us, and I think he knew that protecting us would come at a price."

"Why is there no body?"

"There wasn't time. We were under attack, and I had to get 800 people out of there."

Tim lifted his head. "Did you confirm he was dead?"

Tony swallowed. "I saw him get hit square in the chest with a round."

"What if he's alive? What if he's lying there waiting for us to come for him? I need to know. You'll give me directions. I'll go alone."

"Yeah, I just tried that one. It seems that our lives are not our own anymore. We have to think about the community. They just lost Gibbs. I don't think they can stand to lose you too. They need you, Tim."

"I'm still going."

"There will be nothing left by the time you get there. They burn the bodies."

Tim put a hand to his mouth and shuddered. "Oh God, help me."

"Tim?"

He shook his head. "Don't use logic with me. What if it was Ziva left behind? What would you do then? That's the real problem here. You don't think it's comparable. You love Gibbs. I know that, but this thing I have with him makes no sense to you. Tell me you haven't thought it was some sort of weird phase. Tell me you don't still picture me married to a woman and having kids. Tell me the truth, Tony."

Tony lowered his head. "It's been confusing. I don't- didn't understand it, but I respected it. I knew that you felt something special for one another. I knew that he was more open than I had ever known him to be. I could see that the two of you were happy."

Tim closed his eyes. "It's so much more than that. We went through so much and came to know each other so well. It was an amazing risk to allow feelings to grow, and to discover a new way to love. It was so precious to both of us."

"I never thought about it like that."

"I'm sure you didn't. I've survived just about everything in the last two years, but I don't think I'm built to survive this."

"Please Tim. You were the first one to believe in me. I can't lose you." Tony reached over and touched his shoulder, but McGee flinched and pulled away.

His breath quickened, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to hyperventilate. Then he looked up at Tony with watery eyes. "Look me in the eyes. I need to know for sure, Tony. Is he really gone?"

Tony closed his eyes. He knew that McGee needed clarity. If he didn't have it, he would have to leave and search for Gibbs. Tony made the decision he felt his friend needed. "He's gone, Tim. I've tried to tell myself otherwise, but the truth is that he's gone."

A moan rose up from deep in Tim. "I need to be alone, Tony."

"I can't let you."

Tim slid out of the jeep. "There's a place about three hours south on the creek where Jethro and I…we fell in love. I need to be there and I need to be alone."

"People will worry. You mean so much to them."

He lifted his head. "Tony, I'm a human being not a mascot. I have a right to grieve."

"Tim, it scares me to leave you alone right now."

This time Tim touched Tony. "I promised him that I would be okay. I promised him that I wouldn't leave Esperanza."

Tony grabbed him and held him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Tim. The little girl fell in the middle of the field, but I hesitated, and Boss didn't. He just ran out there and picked her up. I should've been faster, Tim."

Tim patted his back gently. "Then Amala wouldn't have a dad."

"I love you, Tim."

"Yeah, me too. Give me a few days, okay? I'll be back."

He pulled away from Tony and walked away in the dark.

…

Jackie gently set down a plate of pastries in front of Ducky and Jimmy. Ducky looked up with weary eyes. "What is this?"

"They are sopapillas, sort of a Mexican donut. I asked the cooks to make something special for the two of you."

Ducky picked one up and ate it slowly. He nodded. "It's quite delicious."

He pushed one at Jimmy who ate it without comment.

"How is Fornell?"

Ducky patted Jimmy on the back. "He did an amazing job. Tobias isn't out of the woods yet, but he's stable."

"Thanks Dr. Palmer." She looked over to where Emily Fornell was sleeping on a cot. "She can't lose her dad."

"I'm not a surgeon but I did the best I could."

Ducky looked down at his coffee for a long moment. "I should go see Timothy."

"Tony says he's gone for a few days. He needed to be alone."

"No! He should be around people who love him. What was Tony thinking?! We should send people after him."

"Please don't do that." Jimmy's voice was soft but certain.

"He needs us, Jimmy."

"In a few days maybe, but right now, what he really needs is time to rage at the injustice of it all. He's lost his soul mate. I know what that's like."

Everyone got quiet for a few moments. Ducky sighed. "Jimmy, I think we'll have to take our cue from you on this one. You certainly are in a position to understand better than I."

"I wish I'd been given time to grieve." Jimmy got up with a heavy sigh and walked out of the makeshift hospital.

…..

Tony sat on the steps to Ducky's home. Dawn was going to come in an hour, but he didn't have the strength to contemplate a new day. Over and over, he saw Gibbs fall in his head, and he wondered why he didn't run out there and drag him back. These thoughts were only interrupted by the look on Tim's face when he confirmed for him that the love of his life was gone. The pain felt like bricks heavy in his gut, but he couldn't let go and let the tears fall- especially since he felt like the architect to this disaster.

He didn't notice her until she was a few feet away. Her long hair was wild and it fell in her face. Her eyes were puffy and soft. He lifted his head. "I'm so sorry."

She didn't say anything, and when she got closer, he wondered dispassionately if she was going to hit him, but she merely pulled him to his feet and led him into her home. She guided him into her bedroom, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Confused, he teared up. "It's my fault, Ziva."

She pulled the shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. Then she wrapped her arms around him tightly resting her head on his chest.

A sob rose up in his throat. "Can you forgive me?"

She backed him until his legs hit the bed, and he sat. She undid his pants and pulled him off his legs, and he offered no resistance. Sobs were coming fast and furious for him now. She pushed him back onto the bed and looked down at him. Then she buried her face in his neck and began kissing him softly.

"Ziva, I didn't save him."

"Shhhh," she said as she caressed his bruised body.

"Could I have done more? I don't know the answer. I have to know the answer."

A wail rose up in the next room, and Ziva climbed off him and disappeared. She returned with Amala whose sobs were much like her father's. She put the baby on his bare chest and curled up next to him. He held the baby as he cried, and for some reason, Amala was comforted. She stopped crying and watched her father intently, reaching up and grabbing at his face.

Ziva smiled softly as the baby pulled at her father, and she leaned into his ear. "I have no answers for you, my love. You had one moment, and I believe from a place deep in my heart that you acted honorably and correctly in that moment. If Jethro were here, he would say the same."

Tony turned toward her. "Ziva."

"I can't say more. My heart is just as broken as yours." Tears started down her cheeks. "I feel such loss, it's more than when I learned my own father died; it's like the pain I felt when my mother died."

He leaned toward her, depositing Amala between them. "I love you, Ziva."

She closed his eyes gently. "Sleep, my warrior husband. Soon, we'll have to have the strength to help this community grow."

….

"Hey!" McGee smiled as Jethro sat down beside him with a napkin of food. He was working out the details on supplying two new communities.

"Working through lunch again, I see."

"You know how I am about problem solving." Tim lifted the thick corn cake with stewed vegetables on top. "What is this?"

"Mrs. Sanchez in the kitchen calls this a pupusa."

"I used to love pupusas. I'm already forgetting about all of our old world foods."

"Well, whatever it is, it's amazing."

Tim smiled as Jethro gently rubbed his back. "Getting a little bold, aren't you?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Ah, they all know anyway. I was…going to ask you about last night. Wanted to make sure you were feeling okay."

Tim's eyes widened. "I'm doing fine."

"I mean, you know, we tried that…new thing…and it requires a bit of discomfort on your end…figuratively and literally."

Tim swallowed hard and glanced around the room, assuring himself that no one else was in earshot. Satisfied that folks on the other side of the room were otherwise occupied, he turned to Jethro. "It wasn't a problem. It's a little challenging at first, but then it was pretty terrific."

"You're sure?"

Tim chuckled. "As you know, guys don't really fake orgasms. Use that as your guide."

Jethro relaxed. "I just never want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

Tim put down the napkin of food and slid his arm through Jethro's. "Jethro, I want you to understand something. What we did last night was intense and it was powerful, and it was an expression of how deeply we're connected."

"Oh, there was a deep connection all right."

Tim leaned into his ear. "It makes me feel like I'm giving all of myself to you. I love that. It's exactly how I feel about you. I may require that we do it every night."

Gibbs nodded, trying to hide a grin. "That puts a lot of pressure on me."

"Never seen you back down from a challenge."

"Going to have to do some weight training, bulk up and such. Didn't Ducky say he found a box of little blue pills?"

Tim lay in the grass next to the stream where it all began, one arm over his face. Memories of the special moments were all he had to combat the overwhelming grief that he felt. He played them over and over in his head, worried that they might fade and leave him abandoned with nothing but the pain of loss.

The sun was rising high in the sky and it told him that he was into his second day here. His stomach hurt, and he knew that he'd have to do something about food today, but the thought of the energy it was going to take overwhelmed him.

The sun was hot on him, and he knew he'd have to shift soon especially because the dried salt from his tears was burning his cheeks. He heard a twig snap and the sound told him it was caused by a human foot. He closed his eyes and shouted. "Please leave me alone! I just need a couple more days. I promise to come back."

The sound of footsteps grew closer and he rose up in a sitting position. "Please leave me alone!"

Jimmy Palmer stepped out of some bushes. "I will, Tim. Need to take care of a few things and then I'll leave you alone."

"Jimmy?" He squinted up at him. His anger quickly dissolved.

Jimmy knelt down beside him. "You're badly sunburnt. Probably dehydrated. Have you eaten?"

Tim shook his head and Jimmy sighed. "I understand. I hated food. I always felt like I was going to choke on it. Luckily, my captors weren't handing out much."

"I don't understand what you're doing here."

"Dr. Mallard can't sleep he's so worried about you. I think it's part of how he's grieving Gibbs. I convinced them that I understand what you're feeling better than they do. I just want to make sure you have the essentials, and then I'm going to camp about a mile upstream. I'll check on you once a day."

Tim watched as Jimmy unpacked a bag. There was jerky, bread, apples, berries, and granola. He grabbed a water bottle and leaned into the creek filling it. "You're two feet away from water, but it probably feels like it's too hard to reach over and drink it."

Jimmy took him by the arm and helped him walk over to a tree. "You'll need the shade, Tim. I bet your face hurts like hell."

Tim looked up at him. "It never got better for you?"

Jimmy squatted and thought for a moment. "Maybe it was because I was held captive. All of my grieving was stolen from me. I had to fix wounds on men I wanted to kill, and I was powerless to stop them from killing others."

"I'm sorry, Jimmy."

"Me too."

"You're helping us now. You're saving lives that deserve saving. Does that feel like anything good?"

He sighed. "That's a good question. I'm glad I'm here to help you. The other night I worked on Fornell. He was badly wounded. I could see how desperate his daughter was for him to survive. I'm glad that I could help her."

"I didn't know Fornell was injured. Is he okay?"

"As long as infection doesn't set in, I think he's going to make it."

"Jethro told me the day before he was killed that working and being part of Esperanza were going to save me if I lost him."

Jimmy sat back into the grass. "He was probably right."

Tim nodded. "If it can save me, it can save you."

Jimmy shook his head. "I always knew you were a tricky bastard, McGee."

"How are the others?"

"Tony is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and Ziva has gotten very quiet, but I think they are together again. That must ease the suffering for both of them."

"I miss Amala."

"Tony carries her around town like no one has ever seen a baby before. Breena and I wanted kids. They would've looked like her. I'm positive they would've."

"Are things running smoothly?"

He shook his head. "I'm not really allowed to talk to you about that. You are not to worry about anything but yourself."

"That didn't help you, did it?"

Jimmy shook his head.

"Tony told me that there was a little girl that Jethro. Do you know about this girl?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "We got more orphans in that last trip. We thought we were going to get 200 total, but only 67 made it."

"Do you know which one she is?"

"No, they're all in a few classrooms in the school. There are social workers trying to sort out placements, but it's going ridiculously slow. Dr. Mallard spends part of every day reading stories for them. They are crazy for him."

"I'm ready to go back, Jimmy."

"McGee, take some time. You're not ready."

Tim used the tree as leverage as he slowly got to his feet. "Jethro was right. That's where I need to be. Come on, Jimmy. Help me! I need something to eat so I can get my strength back."

….

McGee strode into town walking fast and breathing hard. People were excited to see him, but they seemed to know to give him space. Jimmy had to trot to keep up. He spotted Jackie walking across the street, and she stopped when she saw him. "Tim!"

"Where's Tony?" He said breathlessly.

She pointed toward the offices Gibbs had used with his security people. "He's in a meeting."

He turned sharply and headed in that direction. Jackie looked at Jimmy and he shook his head. "I don't know. Find Ducky."

Tim burst in on the meeting. Tony stood up. "Tim, I'm so glad you're back."

"I need your help, Tony. I need to know about the little girl. Where is she?"

"Amala?"

"No! The little girl that Jethro saved."

"I…don't know. I assumed she was an orphan. There was no one else with her."

"What does she look like?"

"Tim?"

McGee turned to the room. "Interrupting like this is unforgiveable. You all have important work to do. I just need to borrow Tony for a few minutes. I apologize."

"It's okay, Tim." "Are you okay?" "What can we do for you?"

Tim ignored them. "I just need you for a few minutes, Tony."

He nodded. "Of course. Cassie, take over please."

….

Tim had a crowd growing behind him. Jackie and Jimmy trotted after them as Tim pulled Tony to the school. Ducky was on the steps. "Timothy, I heard you returned. How are you?"

"Busy Duck, but I'm going to need your help," he said as he brushed by the old M.E. He climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor, and came to the rooms housing the orphans. "Tony, we're going to go through these rooms, and you're going to tell me when you see that little girl."

"Tim, I don't know what you're doing."

"It's okay. I just want to finish what Jethro started."

Tony blinked in confusion but followed Tim into the first room. Tim stopped short when he saw that it wasn't as full as he thought. He sought out one of the social workers. "Where are the rest of the children?"

"Ah, well they have mostly found homes in the community."

Tim frowned. "Why not these children?"

She looked down. "In our community, you don't get a full ration unless you can work. All of these children are between the ages of 4 and 9. People took the babies because everyone loves babies, and those who were close to working age."

Tim shook his head. "They live in this room?"

She bit her lip. "For the time being."

He turned to Tony. "Do you see her?"

Tony was already staring at her. He couldn't remember her face, but he remembered that her shirt was covered with pictures of red apples. He pointed at her. She was sitting on a mat in the corner, thin brown hair covering her face.

Tim turned to the social worker. "What's her story?"

"She's five years old. Her name is Nadine and her mother died in the cholera epidemic. She's pretty shut down."

Tim nodded and went over, kneeling in front of her. She shrunk away from him. He gave her space. "My name is Tim. Are you Nadine?"

The little head nodded but she didn't look up.

"Can you look at me?"

She shook her head. Behind him, Jackie, Ducky, Jimmy, and Ziva had crowded into the room watching silently.

"Do you remember when you had to run from the guns, and the man helped you?"

She nodded, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I am his friend. He helped you, but he isn't here anymore. So I am here to help you."

She cocked her head looking at him with sad, brown eyes.

"Do you want a family?"

She nodded.

"Come home with me. I can be your family, Nadine."

She stared at him a long moment and then stretched out her arms, and he picked her up. He stood up and looked at the social worker. "I want to take her home."

She shook her head. "For you or for her?"

"For both of us."

"Do you have time for a child, Tim?"

He smiled. "Esperanza supports taking your child to work."

"I don't know."

"Will it better for her to sit in here day after day waiting for a family that might not come?"

"She's been through a lot."

"So have I. I think we'll do fine together."

The social worker turned and looked at Jackie. "What do you think?"

She nodded. "I think he's going to make a terrific father."

Tim's eyes swept the room. "We need a solution, Jackie. Why don't we do foster care until we can find adoptive parents? These kids need to be in homes."

The social worker nodded. "I think it's a great idea."

Tim looked at Ducky. "This is going to be very healing."

There was something in his look that Ducky understood. He stared back at McGee for a moment and finally nodded. "Well, Dr. Palmer and I have an extra room in my little house. And there are two little boys here that seem to enjoy my stories very much. Of course, it would mean that Dr. Palmer and I would have to split shifts so we could attend to their needs."

Jimmy gasped. "I don't know."

Ducky nodded. "Dr. Palmer and I will discuss it."

The little girl was hugging him tightly as if fearful he would change his mind. He walked up to Jimmy. "Please don't be afraid. Imagine she's watching you. What would she want you to do?"

Then he walked past everyone and left the school.

…..

His eyes fluttered open, but it took minutes before he could make out the features of the room. It was nothing he recognized. It had the elegance of a room in an expensive room. His mouth was dry and when he opened it to call for someone, only a croak emerged.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember what might have brought him here. He remembered chaos, shouting, guns, and a little girl sitting upright in a field. Finally, he remembered being slammed in the chest. Moaning, he reached for his chest and found a large bandage covering his upper right torso. It was a couple of inches above his heart.

A door opened and a woman walked in. She was exotic looking, but he didn't recognize her. He croaked words at her and she turned and ran. A few minutes later, the door opened again and a very familiar face walked in. The mustache was gone but the intelligent dark eyes were the same.

He sat down next to him and smiled. "Do I understand correctly that the lousiest bet for a husband on the Eastern Seaboard married my wife?"

….

TBC…..


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hi! Sorry it took so long to finish this chapter. More craziness ensues. Some of it will make sense to you; maybe some of it might not make sense, but it's how it has come to be shaped in my head, and so this is where it's going. I really hope you are still intrigued, and if you are, I'm dying to know. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 6

He opened his eyes but it took a while for him to focus. When he turned his head, he could see dozens of people lying on cots. He squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to remember how he might've gotten here. When he opened his eyes again, she was staring down at him. "Dad!"

His heart fluttered. "Em, how you doing?"

"Better now that you're awake." Her hair was pulled back in a couple of tight French braids.

He reached a hand to grab one of them. He tugged and she smiled as her hand covered his. "Remember when I tried to braid your hair? Always a disaster. Somebody's been taking good care of you. Hell, I didn't know Jethro even knew how to braid hair. Probably learned it on Kelly."

She turned her head looking distressed. A woman appeared and sat beside her. "Hello Tobias."

"Jackie."

"Emily's been staying with me. She's been a tremendous blessing to me. She takes notes at meetings. Babysits Amala. She's been the perfect companion."

"Thank you, Jackie. I'm very grateful."

Jackie put an arm around Emily. "We're having fun, aren't we?"

The girl nodded. "I was so worried about you and Jackie just knew you were going to be okay."

"You know how tough your old man is."

Emily turned to Jackie. "Dad was asking about Uncle Jethro."

"Is it okay if I talk to him alone for a minute?"

Emily leaned over, kissed her dad, and left.

Tobias looked up at her. "Jackie?"

She shook her head. "He didn't make it back. We're having a memorial service in about an hour."

"No!" He groaned.

"You know Jethro. He always had to be in the thick of it. He got shot in the chest saving a little girl."

He started to roll to the side as if to get up, but she pushed him back gently. "You have to rest. You have to do that for Emily. Too many kids around without their parents and too many parents without their kids."

"How many did we bring on that last trip? We were hoping for 1200."

She hesitated for a moment. Then she leaned forward. "We need you bad, Tobias."

"How many?"

"880."

He turned away and his face crumpled. She patted his shoulder before getting up. "Emily is going to sit with you for awhile."

….

She was sitting on the edge of the bed sucking her thumb and clutching a white dress covered in red flowers when he came in. He knelt in front of her. "Is this the one you want? You sure like red, Nadine."

She nodded.

He looked back at large pile of clothing people had left for him when they found out he had taken in the child. "We sure have a lot to choose from."

He pulled her shirt off, and tried to maneuver the dress over her head. She did some grunting as she struggled to help get her arms through the sleeves. He smoothed it on her small body. Then he ran his fingers through the bangs Ziva had cut across her forehead. "You look very pretty."

She reached her arms up to him, but he hesitated. "You're old enough to walk with me like a big girl."

She shook her head emphatically. Ducky had talked to him about how these regressive behaviors were about her trauma. He sat down beside her. "We're going to a memorial service for my friend Jethro. I know you don't understand what that means, but we're going to have to sit quietly for a long time while people talk, and then I have to talk. You're going to come with me, and everyone is going to see what a good girl you are."

She climbed into his lap and put her arms around his waist while he talked. He patted her back gently. "Yesterday, someone told me that Nadine was a French name that meant hope. Amala is an Arabic name that means hope. We live in a community that means hope. I think that's too many coincidences. I think you were supposed to come here, and I think I was supposed to be your dad. I think Jethro is watching us, and I think he's very pleased. What do you think?"

She just buried her face in his shirt. He picked her up and settled her in his arms. He leaned over to her face. "I think I might cry today. You'll have to be my friend if that happens."

Her tiny brows furrowed and she patted his face gently.

…

Martha paused for a moment to compose herself and she stepped up to the podium. "He thought he was getting the same calories as the rest of us. He told me that his expectation. This was in those dark months after Tim was dragged off. We were surviving day to day. I couldn't tell him that we were averaging 400-500 calories per day, and that he would never be able to hustle for us on that amount. I talked to many of you, and we all agreed. He was very aware of what we were all eating, and so I had to hide calories under rice or we'd cook his rice in pork fat. It doesn't sound very appetizing, but we tried everything. A couple of times, I told him that I'd traded for an extra carton of granola bars or jerky, and I would add little parts of it to his ration. He figured it out and confronted me one day. All I could say in response was that if he died, we all died. He didn't say anything back to me. Two days later, Tim showed up with that truck and all our lives changed."

The tributes went on for hours, and McGee sat in the front row with Ducky, Ziva, and Tony, and listened with tears and laughter. Nadine held on to Tim tightly and never moved. Amala, on the other hand, squealed and wriggled around like a puppy while Tony and Ziva took turns attempting to contain her.

McGee knew they were waiting for him to stand and talk, but he couldn't think how to inspire the community. In the end, he kept it simple. He carried Nadine up to the podium. "I won't talk long and I don't have stories to share right now. I want to introduce you to my daughter, Nadine. She's the little girl Jethro was saving when he was killed. He knew that life isn't worth living in the Afterworld if we forget our humanity. He risked everything so she could be here. This is who he was, and it's my duty to carry on that spirit. If he had it to do all over again, I know he wouldn't change a thing. It's the spirit he has worked so hard to foster in all of us. He loved all of you as family."

He tried to say more but nothing more came to him so he hopped off the platform, head down, and walked out of the memorial.

…..

When Gibbs woke next, Vance was sitting by his bedside. The former agency head nodded. "Last time I said something to you, you passed out on me. Feeling better now?"

Gibbs' eyes darted all over the room. "Where are we? What happened?"

"You took a bullet to the chest. Most people wouldn't survive, but you are too tough to die. Your skin is probably like shoe leather."

Gibbs frowned. "I remember loading up trucks. There was resistance. People being shot…there was a little girl…I told her to run." Then his face changed. "You…your people were shooting at us. What the hell, Leon!?"

He shook his head. "That was all Emerald City forces. Jarvis and McGee's people. We were there to assist you. Fornell asked me to do it a few weeks ago."

"Fornell knows you're alive?"

"I've been living under the radar for a very long time. It doesn't work for too many people to know I'm still breathing."

"What about your wife? She couldn't know?"

"As you know, she remarried."

Gibbs lifted his head. "You know that wasn't real!"

"I don't know about real, but it sure as hell is different."

"Let me explain."

Vance shook his head. "I'm not mad, Gibbs. I'm grateful. You're looking after her. And she's a remarkable woman as I'm sure you already know."

"You still don't understand."

"It doesn't matter, Gibbs."

Gibbs frowned. "Do they know I'm alive? Do they think I'm dead?"

"Every time I send a postcard it gets lost in the mail. What can I say?"

Gibbs gripped his arm. "They need to know I'm alive. I'm a part of something in Esperanza. I have a family…a love…responsibilities."

"A love?"

"Not Jackie! It wasn't like that!"

"You two-timing my ex-wife?" Vance asked.

"This is not a game! I matter to people back there. They need to know!" Gibbs struggled to sit up.

Vance pushed him down gently. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Didn't mean rattle you. Take it easy."

Gibbs looked up. "They need to know, Leon."

"I don't generally advertise my good health. It's bad for business."

"Leon!"

Vance stood. "You need to rest. We'll talk about this later."

…

Jefferson Finch smoothed his uniform as he entered. It felt good to be back in a real uniform again. He felt like a man rather than a farmhand on a commune. He was in a place with real rules and convictions now and it felt right.

Admiral McGee stood up as he came in. The old man looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and Finch wished he would do a better job of hiding it. A real leader would look invincible, but this old man looked nothing but tired.

"Reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Stand down, Captain." Admiral McGee said as he took his chair again. "I just wanted a few minutes before you left on your mission."

"Yes sir."

"Are you clear on your orders? I wrote very specific orders for this mission."

"Yes sir. I know the community and I know these people. I was around your son for a full year. I know how to handle them."

McGee slammed a hand on the table beside him. "The orders I gave you do not require you to handle a single damn thing! I want you and your men to go in, execute my orders, and return! Do you understand?!"

Finch steadied himself. The old man had more in him than he thought. "Yes sir."

"Do not screw this up, Captain!"

"Yes, sir."

The admiral looked away. "Dismissed. Send in my next appointment."

A nun with a flowing habit pushed past Finch into McGee's office."

The admiral looked up. "Sister Michael Bertram. I didn't expect to see you until mass this evening."

The nun sat across from him. "The conversation we had yesterday has left me terribly worried. I need to know that you have thought about my concerns."

He nodded. "I have done that, Sister. I think there is only one path left to travel."

She leaned forward. "Tell me. Please tell me what you've decided."

He shook his head. "You are my spiritual advisor, Sister, but there are limits to what I can tell even you. Please excuse me. I have a full complement of appointments today. We can talk more this evening."

Sister Michael Bertram rose slowly. She let her sleeves fall over her long arms so the admiral wouldn't notice the trembling in her fingers. She raised her eyes to him. "Please remember that God is always watching you, Admiral."

She stopped once more when she got to the door, but the admiral closed his eyes. "Please leave me in peace, Sister." She knew her limits so she bowed her head and left as quickly as she came.

…..

She had become partial to the white dress with red flowers, and when he asked her to pick out clothes in the morning, she insisted on it every time. The first few days he humored her, but then Esperanzans began to notice and ask about all the other clothes that were donated. Every morning was a battle to get her into new clothes. Ducky reminded him that her fear of loss was still high, and so he was as patient as he could be.

This morning it took twenty minutes to wrangle her into a blue shirt and green pants. Finally dressed, she reached for him to carry her, and he was too tired to argue. He hoisted her up, and they headed to the dining hall for breakfast. Outside, he found Tony, Ziva, and Amala sitting on his stoop. They ate like one large family these days, and he found he was grateful for their support.

Ziva saw him carrying Nadine and she frowned. "She has two good legs. She needs to walk."

"You have no idea the morning we've already had," he said.

"She's stubborn. I spend every afternoon with the Princess Nadine. I should know."

"She's been through a lot, Ziva."

"Yes, but feeling sorry for her is not going to help her get better. There was a wonderful expert- I forget his name- who said that she needs exercise, discipline, and then affection. She has no discipline." Ziva handed Amala to Tony, and then reached for Nadine. She clung to his neck, but Ziva carefully peeled her off, and held onto to the now screaming child.

"The two of you need to go to the dining hall and wait at the door. When she is ready, the princess and I will walk to meet you."

"Ziva?"

Tony pushed him forward. "Don't argue with her. Let's go."

Tim looked back at the sight of Ziva and a crying Nadine sitting on the stoop. "Exercise, discipline, then affection- where have I heard that before?"

Tony sighed as Amala squirmed in his arms. "She found a book by Cesar Millan that she's been reading religiously for parenting advice."

Cesar Millan?"

"He was the Dog Whisperer."

"The Dog Whisperer!" Tim whirled around to see Ziva talking in Nadine's ear as she cried.

"I know. I said the same thing, but she thinks he's a genius, and Amala listens to her a lot better than she listens to me."

The two men sat on the dining hall steps with Amala, and waited as the sobs subsided down the street. Within a few minutes, Ziva and Nadine were walking toward them hand in hand. Tim turned to Tony. "Do you think I can borrow that book?"

…

Fornell grunted as his handlers helped him into a bed. Emily took over immediately, making sure his pillows were right and he had enough blankets. She had a jug of water on the table next to the bed for him, and then squealed when she realized she'd forgotten to get straws for the water from Martha. She took off down the stairs, ignoring his protests. He chuckled, shaking his head at Jackie who was leaning against the doorframe. "God, she's growing up fast."

"She doesn't have a choice. None of them do."

"I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't have been there to watch over her."

Jackie looked down. "She's done as much for me. My Kayla was her age when I lost her. It feels…familiar to have her around. It feels good."

Tobias nodded. "None of that has to change when I get better. She needs a strong female in her life. Is that why you're letting me recuperate in your home? You didn't need to do this."

She shrugged. "I have the room. Emily is comfortable here. I'm happy for the company."

"Just sit for a second. I have something I should tell you."

Jackie smirked as she sat. "It's about Leon, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly. "He's alive, but I'm guessing you already know that. I've been working with him. He didn't want you to know. Made me keep it from Jethro because he knew he'd tell you."

"There have been rumors…bits of things here and there. He probably told you he was trying to protect me."

"Something like that."

"It's a lot more complicated than that, Tobias."

"I told him he should come with us."

She shook her head. "He likes what he's doing too much. He missed the spy game when he became an administrator and this puts him right back in the mix. He likes the subterfuge, living on the edge. He feeds on it."

"He's doing something very important. He's fighting Jarvis' incursion across Virginia."

She got up. "And I know my…ex-husband. He isn't keeping me at arm's length just because of the danger."

"Jackie…"

"I think I hear Emily back with her straws. I'll give the two of you some space." She slipped out before he could say more.

….

McGee lay in his bed in the early morning hours stroking Nadine's hair softly. She started every night sleeping in a small bed next to his, but after he fell asleep, she invariably crawled in with him. He knew it eventually had to stop, but he also knew that her nightmares were real, and she needed to know that he was real and that he wasn't going anywhere.

The night before she looked up at him as he was getting ready to read a story, and she told him that Amala was her little sister. It was first time she'd spoken to him unbidden in the two weeks he'd known her. He hugged her tightly and told her she would always have lots of family in Esperanza. And for the first time ever, he saw her smile.

He was waiting for someone to talk to him about how he was using her to survive the grief of losing Jethro. Sometimes he thought he saw the truth of it in their faces, but no one stepped forward, and when they did, it was only to offer friendly parenting advice. The support for this adoption had been unending. Clothes, books, and toys crowded the small house he'd so briefly shared with Jethro. People stopped continually to offer whatever support he needed. It seemed surreal that no one questioned his motives.

There was a dresser that held Jethro's clothes, but he kept it clear of Nadine's things. It would be like using Nadine to bury Jethro's memory. He couldn't do that to the man he loved so deeply. He told himself that he could only raise Nadine if it wasn't at the expense of Jethro's memory.

His days were too full again already, and any time left over was devoted to unlocking the mystery to the frightened little girl in his care. It was only in bed in the early hours of the morning that thoughts of Jethro weren't in competition with everything else. He wished the memories would comfort him, but the ache was too fresh and most mornings started with him struggling to steady his breathing as the grief filled his gut. Then he would remember the frail little girl who needed him, and he would get up for her.

….

Gibbs groaned as Lucia helping him to sit up. She handed him some water. He watched carefully as she worked. She had a strong face; at some angles awkward looking and at others, stunningly beautiful. Her shiny black hair ran all the way down her back.

"Is Leon going to visit today?"

She shrugged. "He is very busy and he's a remarkable man. He's running missions all the time in order to protect and other groups who are peaceful. You shouldn't be so hard on him. I hear the way you talk to him."

"He and I have known each other for a long time."

"He saved your life. Emerald City forces would've thrown you on a pile and left you to burn."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "How long have the two of you been together?"

She looked away sharply and busied herself with folding fresh linens.

"It's clear that you're in love with him. You can't keep your eyes off him whenever he's in the room."

She flashed dark eyes at him. "It's none of your business!"

"No, it isn't," Leon said quietly as he stood in the doorway. "Lucia, can you give my friend and I a few minutes?"

She got up, her face flushed and hurried out of the room.

"Your issue is with me, Gibbs, not her. She used to be an analyst for the CIA. Now, she keeps me organized. I don't know what I would do without her."

"This is why you won't take me back. You're not worried about people knowing you're alive. Most of us already suspected it. You don't want to face Jackie."

Vance pulled up a chair. For a long moment, he didn't respond and then he leaned forward. "You know what it's like to lose your family. We share that…horror now. I always used to feel sorry for you. Now, it's my turn to feel that excruciating pain."

"You were a strong leader, Leon. You knew that if you vaccinated your family, the people trapped in the agency would rise up in anger. They couldn't vaccinate theirs, and you had to show you were one of them. The injustice of it would've been too much. It took tremendous strength. I admired it because I'm not sure I could've done the same."

He sighed. "I thought…they were so strong, and there were people who were surviving. Jackie survived on antibodies alone, and I thought the kids…I thought they could make it. I was genuinely surprised. Can you believe that? I was that delusional."

"You think she blames you."

"Gibbs, have you ever wondered what would have happened if Kelly died and Shannon survived?"

"I don't understand."

"You had survivor's guilt and it almost destroyed you. Think about what it's like when both parents have survivor's guilt. I have no idea what the statistics were on failed marriages when parents have lost their children, but they had to have been high. How long would Shannon have put up with you drinking yourself to death in the basement? Would your marriage have survived?"

"Leon, this is not about me and Shannon. Jackie is amazing. She is holding our community together with her leadership and her humanity. She has an endless capacity for forgiveness. She's that strong."

"All of that is true. She is undoubtedly the most capable person- man or woman- I've ever met. I know she can forgive, but I can't."

Gibbs stared at him for a few moments. "You can't forgive yourself."

"Could you?"

"No."

"So you see my problem. I don't need a basement and a bottle of bourbon. I have this: specially trained men and women ready to ready to protect the people who are trying to revive civilization and to fight those who are predators. This is the focus I need in order to survive. How long I survive is up to the fates. Jackie has found her mission in life and Esperanza is what will feed her. I can't burden her with my anger and my guilt. Do you understand that?"

"I do."

Vance relaxed. "We got to get you home. We have separate paths now."

"You won't come back with me, even for a little while?"

Vance shook his head slowly. "Tell her I—"

"I'll tell her I talked to you. And I'll answer any questions she has, but anything else has to come from you."

"And Lucia?"

"I don't talk about what happens in other people's bedrooms, and I don't want her to be hurt."

"Thank you. I'm not sure I can articulate it myself."

Gibbs shook his head. "Wait 'til you find out who I fell for."

…

Finch and his men lay in the bushes watching the road. They'd been there for three days already. He knew how important it was to watch the routine between Esperanza and the new communities before making his move.

It was 20 minutes earlier than expected when the sound of the jeep came from around the bend. Finch signaled to two of his men, and they got up into a kneeling position, and pointed their high-powered rifles at the road. The moment the jeep came into sight, Finch threw down his hand, and they started firing.

…

Ziva's heart dropped into her stomach when she saw the jeep overturned ahead. She shouted at her driver to stop. She jumped out before it rolled to a stop, and signaled for her team to fan out in defensive positions. She knew that jeep, and panic rose in her throat. Forgetting her own training, she ran straight for the jeep. She spotted a pair of legs under it, and she called for help. A couple of her team members ran up, and they pushed on the jeep carefully to get it off. It took a few minutes before they rolled it off a Esperanzan named Nancy Miller. She was on Martha's quartermaster team. There was no pulse. Another shout rang out, and Ziva ran to find two more bodies lying in the ditch. They were riddled with bullets.

There was another shout and she went running. Beyond the ditch and in the woods was another body. One of Ziva's people stood. "She's alive!"

Without looking, Ziva yelled at her driver to get to Esperanza and bring help. Then she ran toward her people. Martha was lying in their midst, her right shoulder and thigh thick with blood. Ziva knelt beside her. "It's going to be okay, Martha. Help is coming."

Martha fixed her eyes on Ziva and nodded imperceptibly.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Martha blinked and for a moment, her eyes searched the forest. Then she whispered. "There was shooting and the jeep went wild. It flipped over. We landed in the ditch. Tim pushed me toward the forest. More shooting. We couldn't mount a defense…"

"Martha, we can't find Tim. Do you remember what happened to him?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Shouting. They were looking for 'the target'. Someone kept saying 'the target'. Find him. Please find Tim."

Ziva stood up, breathing hard. If anyone were 'the target' in that jeep, it would've been McGee. She took a deep breath. "Cameron, you stay with Martha! Nicole watches the road! Everyone else does a grid search for Tim! We need to find him now!"

She stood on the highway and watched them disappear into the forest. She knew they would find anything. Every instinct in her body told her that Tim McGee was gone.

….

It was 3 a.m. before Vance's security head brought her into the country home he was currently using as a hideout. She'd spent three hours in the back of a truck out of D.C., two hours waiting for her contact, and another two walking back roads. Her long habit was full of dirt and sweat, but she didn't even think about removing any part of it.

Vance came into the living room illuminated by nothing more than a full moon. "Sister. I wasn't expecting you this week. What's happened?"

"I tried to stop him, but he was too committed. Assimilating Esperanza into the Emerald City is all he thinks about. Emerald City has only six weeks of food stores left. They're getting desperate, Leon."

"Sit down, Sister."

She ignored him, pacing the carpeted floor. "I found out today that he sent a team a few days ago. I didn't know. If I had known, I would've found a way to warn them. I never meant to let this happen. The admiral thinks he can control this, but he can't. You know that and I know that."

"You're going to have to slow down. Tell me everything from the beginning. What is the admiral planning?"

Sister Michael Bertram saw a dark figure emerge from the hallway and she froze. The man was using the wall for support as he made his way into the room. Vance turned his head sharply. "Gibbs!"

Gibbs pushed off the wall and stumbled toward an overstuffed chair. His eyes were trained on Sister Michael. "You were talking about Esperanza. I need to know what's happening."

She backed up and started toward the door. Vance intercepted her and grabbed her by the arm firmly. "He was injured. I took him in. I had no way of knowing you were going to show up."

She tried to pull away, but he shook his head. "You can't run from this. It's too important."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes in the dark room. "What's going on?"

Vance gently pulled her into a chair. "Sister Michael Bertram is here to bring us some intelligence about Esperanza."

Gibbs started toward her. "I know that voice."

Vance left her and pushed him back gently and settled him in a chair. "Stay focused. We start with what she knows. Then the two of you can talk."

"Abby?"

Vance put his hands on Gibbs' shoulders. "Esperanza first. Okay?"

Gibbs nodded and focused all of his attention on the woman sitting across from him. She sat on the edge of her chair as if ready to bolt so he willed his body to relax. More than anything else, he wanted to hear her speak again.

…

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Another chapter filled with twists. You may find some surprises. It may been more than a week before the next chapter as school is starting again. As always, I am eager to know your thoughts as this is a very unusual story. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 8

There was a pipe pressed up against his neck choking as a man screamed into his face. Someone was punching him in the gut, but there was so many of them surrounding him, he couldn't identify his attacker.

"You scum! I can't wait to watch you die, you piece of shit! I can't wait for the rope to cut through your neck and kill you!"

McGee didn't know what that meant but the dying part was something he was looking forward to. The choking was just taking his vision when another voice sounded. "Get off him! Get off him now!"

"Look what he did, Major! He killed Finch!"

"You drop him now or I'll have you all shot, and you know I can make it happen!"

The hands on his body disappeared and he slumped onto a metal cot. The men still stood around him breathing heavily.

"Out! I want all of you out of this cell right now!"

Men retreated and McGee turned his swollen and throbbing face to Finch lying on the floor. They'd lied. He wasn't dead. He lay on the floor face up and eyes wide, struggling to breath, but his neck was broken. McGee had snapped it hard and quick just as Jethro taught him. Death was coming for him and McGee was glad.

"Major, Finch went in there to quiet him and the man attacked him. The rules on murder are very clear around here. He's going to hang."

"Since when are you running things around here. This is the admiral's son. The old man has plans for him."

"He murdered one of ours!"

"Yeah, and you knew Finch for less than a month. Get over it, Soldier! Now drag the body out of there."

Two men went in and unceremoniously dragged Finch out of there. McGee followed him with his eyes. When they dropped him outside the cell, he'd stopped moving. McGee felt a sense of satisfaction as he whispered the names of the friends that died in the ditch and under the jeep because of that man. There was a time years ago when he would've questioned his savagery, but those days were long gone. He knew that his father's men would kill him soon, but he also knew he would leave this world knowing he'd avenged the deaths of his friends.

…

Jackie helped Fornell up the steps into the town hall. Inside, he found DiNozzo trying to preside over an angry crowd of his security people. Ziva sat next to him looking flushed. Tony caught sight of Fornell, and he gestured him to the podium. He grabbed his arm and helped him up the steps.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!" He hissed into his ear. "I'm not used to conducting an investigation with fifty people in the room."

"I am. Can I give it a try?"

Tony nodded and gestured for the crowd to quiet. When the noise slowed, he spoke. "Tobias Fornell is here. He's a former FBI agent, and now a member of Esperanza. We're going to let him talk. He gets interrupted and you're out of here."

Tobias leaned against the table and looked out on the crowd. "I've been briefed. I know you've lost friends today and for some of you, family. I'm sorry about that. But if we're going to protect this community, we're going to need to act smart, not angry."

Someone shouted. "Tim's out there somewhere and we're just sitting here talking! I understand if that's how you do things at the FBI, but those days are gone!"

"I have some experience with this. McGee and his people weren't attacked by a random gang. If they had been, they would've been stripped of everything valuable and Tim's body would've been found with the others. This was a kidnapping, and you need to understand that McGee is not nearby. He's been taken for a reason and we have to figure out what that is so we can respond and protect this community."

Tony stepped up beside him. "We don't make decisions about strategy by committee in Esperanza. We didn't do it when Jethro was here and we don't do it now. We're doubling up on security as of right now. If you worked today, you are off tonight but double shifting tomorrow. If you were off today, you're working tonight. I need everyone out there now!"

For a moment, there was no movement, and Tony feared that he'd done nothing to establish himself as an authority in this community, but then slowly, chairs scraped back and people rose. The mood was heavy, but it was clear that they all needed to believe in someone, and for the moment, he had their vote.

When the last of the security personnel left the room, Tony turned to Fornell. "The Emerald City has him, don't they?"

"I'd bet my life on it."

Tony ran his fingers through his hair. "God help him."

….

Gibbs sat as still as he could while she talked. The day's light had begun to filter in, but it wasn't enough to really illuminate her. Still, he knew it was his Abby. He could hear it in her voice; he could see it in her gestures. It was clear that Vance knew too, but he continued to acknowledge her only as Sister Michael Bertram.

"The admiral has been talking to me about this for weeks. He's starting to see that the society he's helped to create is too rigid, too cold. He knows that the Emerald City lacks humanity. He's trying to change."

"When did he start talking about his son?"

"He started saying that Emerald City could find its humanity through Esperanza. A man named Jefferson Finch had come to the city and told him all about it. The idea of it captured him. He was very excited. He was…he was proud of Tim. He felt that if the two communities combined, there was a real chance of building a civilization that would last generations."

Gibbs shook his head. "It'll never happen, Abby."

She startled at the sound of his voice. "My name is Sister Michael Bertram. Please don't call me Abby. And I am aware that his motives were not pure, but I don't think he would've aggressed against his own son, if not for Jarvis."

Vance looked at Gibbs. "Jarvis is the true puppet master behind Emerald. The admiral is fast becoming irrelevant. If it wasn't for his organizational capabilities, I doubt Jarvis would've allowed him to survive as long as he has."

"What has he done to Tim?"

"He's had him kidnapped."

"What!?" Gibbs started to rise out of the chair, but dropped back when his limbs failed him.

"He doesn't want to attack Esperanza. There's only one way in and he knows they would lose too many people. He wants Tim to lead him in."

"You're kidding, right? It's not going to happen. Leon, we got to get in there and pull him out."

Vance sighed. "Emerald City is locked up tight."

"Come on, we know how to do this!"

Vance shook his head. "You can't even navigate a chair."

"Leon!"

He advanced on Gibbs. "Three rescue missions I have attempted for key personnel in the last year. Nine people dead and not one completed rescue. The Emerald City has no soul, but they know security. It's a military stronghold."

"I'm your way in." Sister Michael said quietly.

"I don't understand what you're doing in there with him. He's not a good man, Abby."

She closed her eyes, ignoring his continued refusal to address her correctly. "You don't know me anymore, Gibbs, and you don't know anything about I'm doing."

"She's right, Gibbs. The sister here has brought us valuable intel. Her relationship with the admiral is very important to us."

"It's important to me too." Sister Michael stood. "My agenda is doing God's work. That's it."

Gibbs rubbed a hand over his face and watched her closely.

Sister Michael turned to Vance. "Leon, it's time for me to get back. He'll be expecting me at evening mass. Could you arrange for it to be shorter than the six hours it took to get here?"

"I'll arrange a jeep for you, but first, you need a little time with your old boss. Sun is coming up. I'll see what I can do about some breakfast." Vance got up and left the room.

Gibbs struggled with the chair but made it to his feet. "Talk to me, Abby. I'm so confused. I don't understand any of this."

Robes flowing, she got to him before he could walk. Gently, she put him back in the chair. "You have to rest, Gibbs."

"We thought you were dead. We've mourned for you."

Sister knelt beside the chair. "Listen to me. Abby is gone."

He shook his head. "I don't understand. Is this a cover story?"

She took his hand in hers. "Abby couldn't survive this world. I had to let her go."

"What happened to you?"

She shrugged. "What happened to any of us?"

"Tell me. I need to know."

She pulled the habit off her face. Her head was bald and Gibbs grimaced. "I got hurt. Hurt bad."

He touched her face. "Jimmy said your group was attacked."

She smiled. "Jimmy's okay! I heard he and Breena were kidnapped."

"Breena was murdered."

She closed her eyes. "I'm not sure I ever knew a sweeter person than Breena."

Gibbs looked down. "They raped you."

Her eyes were wet. "For days. I tried to forget. I tried to recover but it was too hard. Pain was everywhere and I was sinking. Sister Rosita helped me to focus my attention on God. Gibbs, I don't know if you can understand this, but I truly found solace there. She taught me to pray in a way that I never knew existed. I realized that if I truly devoted myself to God's work, I could find a new life."

"I'm so sorry, Ab… I wish I'd been there."

She smiled. "You think you could've prevented this. You think this is a tragedy that you could've stopped but you're wrong. I'm alive now; alive in a way I've never known before. Abby was a bright, beautiful girl who was afraid to grow up. Becoming Sister Michael Bertram has freed me from her fears and insecurities. Every decision I make now is about bringing good back into this world. It's a good way to live."

"You took the name Michael Bertram. Why?" He watched her carefully.

"St. Michael is the saint who protected me when I was recovering. And while there is a St. Bertram, I chose Bertram in remembrance of Abby and her hippo protector, Bert."

"Why the old school habit and the shaved head?"

"I need it. It helps me remember that I am choosing sacrifice and service above everything else."

"If Jefferson Finch told everything, then you must know about Tim and me."

She cocked her head for a moment. "Do you think I judge you? The Vatican has fallen, Gibbs. I work directly for God now. I celebrate real love wherever and however it can be found. I felt good for both of you when I learned it."

Gibbs took her hands in his. "I've missed you so much, and I don't want to lose you again. We've both lost so much, and you've been my daughter since the day I met you. I'm scared to let you go back there."

She nodded. "The only way you can lose me is if you keep me from fulfilling my destiny. Being close to the admiral gives me privileges. I have the clout to help people. I have access to things. But I can help the admiral. I can help him find his way back to humanity."

"You can't trust him. I don't know that men like that can ever really change."

"He wants redemption. That's a very powerful motivator." She squeezed his hands once more and pulled away. "I have to go."

"Leon is bringing us breakfast."

She adjusted the habit on her head. "I will eat on the way. I have visits. There are outcasts still in D.C. who are not allowed into the Emerald City and are not strong enough to fight. They are very vulnerable and need protection. My sisters and I are trying to find them safe homes."

"Can they work?"

"Most of them are infirm or eldery. They can't do manual labor. They can do other work though."

"We can find space for some of them in Esperanza. We're growing two new communities, and we didn't get the settlers we thought we'd get."

"And you would take them in?"

"40- 50 of them, perhaps."

"Esperanza sounds like heaven on earth."

"If you can get close to him, please tell Tim I'm coming for him. Tell him not to give up."

She smiled wide much like she had when she was Abby Scuito. "Our Timmy doesn't know how to give up."

…..

When he woke, he was in a different room. It had the sterile look of a hospital; bare walls and a mounted TV set. He tried to sit up, but restraints pulled him back.

"Hey Tim, don't struggle. The doctors say you have broken ribs."

Recognition washed through him and he turned his head. "Dad?"

"I never meant for you to get hurt, but when you killed a man, and things got out of hand."

Tim raised his head. "He kidnapped me and killed my friends! How did you think I was going to react?!"

"I haven't seen you in so long. You still look like a kid."

Tim looked at the admiral. The man had aged decades. "I wish I could say the same, Dad."

"It's been stressful for all of us. Losing your mom and Sarah was hard."

"You hid out on a ship and left them to die! You could've pulled strings!"

"They'd been infected. I couldn't bring them on board. I had them taken out of the city, but in the end it was too late. Your mother understood, Tim."

"My mother was a saint whose only flaw was a propensity to excuse everything you did."

"I don't want to fight. You and I need to be allies."

He shook his head. "Not going to happen."

"You have to be smart. Esperanza can't survive without us."

"We're doing just fine."

"Gangs of marauders are going to attack any community who is succeeding. You have to understand that."

"And I consider your Emerald City to be one of those gangs."

Admiral McGee leaned in. "That's a mistake. We can protect you. We can protect that spirit that you've worked so hard to build."

"We're not interested."

"You need us, Tim."

"Cut the crap. You need us much more than we need you."

Admiral McGee sighed. "We can't produce enough food. It's becoming a crisis for us. We need to learn from you."

Tim raised his head. "What you need is slave labor to produce food for you. I've heard how you treat the groups you 'partner' with."

"It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"It's never going to happen!"

Admiral McGee gripped his arm. "You don't understand. If we cannot collaborate, Jarvis is going to send in troops and just take over."

"And my people will fight," he hissed.

"And their bodies will litter the fields. Picture it! All because you can't get along with your dad. Does that sound like a good outcome? Huh?! Answer me, Tim!"

Tim turned away, breathing hard. The admiral let go of him and for a while, they were silent. Then Admiral McGee stood. "I pushed too hard. I swore I wasn't going to do that. I apologize. Take some time to think. Rest. We'll talk again tomorrow."

…..

Fornell leaned to one side in the chair, and Jackie wondered how long he would last. It seemed as if they'd been arguing for hours about the right course of action. Tony was in favor of a direct assault on the Emerald City as a show of strength. Ziva wanted a small group to infiltrate the city and rescue Tim.

"We have to stop arguing," Fornell said simply, his fingers clutching the chair for support.

Jackie rose. "Tobias, you need to be back in bed."

"Not yet. We need a plan. I've been watching the two of you go back and forth about this for a while now and I have some observations."

The old Tony DiNozzo could never have predicted a scenario where he looked to Fornell for counsel, but the older man's voice calmed him and both he and Ziva sat down.

"An assault on the Emerald City won't work. Too many of their resources are devoted to repelling just such a plan. You might keep them busy for hours, even days, but it would be at the expense of many casualties. We can't afford that. Ziva's plan has more promise although I have yet to see a successful rescue mission."

Ziva nodded. "I'll put together a small team and we'll be ready to leave within a day."

"No!" Tony slapped the table.

Fornell put a hand up. "Please! Both of you need to listen. We don't have the right expertise for this, but I know someone who does."

"Spit it out, Tobias."

"Leon Vance."

Tony leaned toward him. "Vance is alive?"

"Yeah, he's alive, and nobody understands the Emerald City like he does."

Ziva looked at Jackie. "Did you know?"

"Tobias confirmed it for me a few days ago."

"What can he do for us?"

"He gets very good intel from the Emerald City. He has a contact that has access to the admiral. He also has an elite squad. If anybody can find Tim, it's Vance."

Ziva nodded. "I can leave tomorrow."

Fornell shook his head. "Please understand something. Tim was kidnapped for one of the three reasons. They want to torture for information on Esperanza. They want to turn him in order to gain access to Esperanza or they want to use his disappearance as a distraction. In all of these scenarios, Tim's kidnapping is a prelude to an attack."

"We're not leaving this to strangers," Ziva retorted.

"You're not NCIS agents watching each other's six anymore. Your responsibilities have become much too complex. Are you willing to sacrifice Esperanza to this? Esperanza and her sister communities need to be ready for the attacks that are coming. And they are coming- regardless of what happens to Tim."

Tony stared down at the floor for a long moment. "What do you recommend?"

"A defense needs to be mounted, and security increased. It's bare bones time. School stops and kids go out into the fields. Cooks learn how to use guns. We need all of the adults to become fighters. I believe we can repel these attacks. Their access to us is limited and their resources are dwindling. The attack will be hard and fast, but it can't sustain if they don't take us immediately. We have to be ready for it and if we can stop them in their tracks, we can hold out much longer than they can."

"You want us to abandon McGee, the man who been a brother to us." The anger was deep in Ziva's face.

"I know how to find Vance. I take a few of my men. We will a jeep with food they haven't seen in two years and I go make a deal."

"You can barely stand," Tony said.

"I don't need to stand in a jeep. My job is to negotiate. I think I can get him to help us with the defense as well."

"I'll be going along as well. You're going to need someone to watch out for you." Jackie said softly.

Tobias shook his head. "Not necessary. And they need you here."

"You won't have to negotiate if I go, Tobias. Leon won't deny me anything. Arguing about this will waste time."

Tobias nodded at her and looked at Ziva. "Can Emily stay with you? She can help with the children."

"Of course."

Jackie stood. "Ziva, I will be appointing you head of the council in my absence. People respect you. They know you. You and Tony will have the power to get this done."

Tobias struggled to rise, and Tony jumped up to help him stand. Tobias gripped his arm. "I know you're scared. I know you've been trying to regain your confidence, but you have the best instincts Jethro has ever seen and I trust that. You can save Esperanza, Tony. I believe that with everything in me."

Tony nodded. "Thank you, Tobias."

…..

Tony lay on his side in the bed, listening to Amala breathe in her sleep. He teased her tiny fingers until she gripped his finger. The love he felt for overwhelmed him. A longing took root every time he left her, and when he returned at night and held her, it felt like the most potent of drugs, bringing him to a warm and deeply contented place. Amala was the future of the afterworld, and he knew that he would do anything to keep her safe.

Ziva walked in the room, Nadine holding her tightly around the neck even in her sleep. Tony looked up. "How is she?"

"Paralyzed with fear. It's only been a day without him, but I think she can feel that something's wrong."

"What do we tell her?"

Ziva shook her head. "The book says nothing about this."

Tony chuckled. "The book is about working with dogs, Ziva."

"I won't lie to her, but I think we'll keep it simple. Tim left on an unexpected trip and we expect him back soon. That's my truth anyway. She's so fragile."

Ziva lay down on the bed with Nadine, placing her next to Amala. "Until he comes back, she is ours. Do you understand?"

He nodded, reaching across and stroking the little girl's cheek.

"We can do this, Tony. We can teach them to fight. We can protect our children. This is very similar to growing up in Israel. We always had to prepare for the threat."

"As long as you're with me, Ziva, I believe we can do anything."

She smiled. "Sleep my love. Our days will be long ones."

…

Fornell leaned against her doorframe and debated the decision to have this conversation. Finally he shook his head and turned to leave. Jackie raised her head. "You're afraid to tell me he has another woman."

He shook his head. "How could you possibly guess that?"

It was either that or you were contemplating a seduction."

He shifted awkwardly. "I'm not really in any condition for…that. I can't tell you much about her. She's a former CIA Analyst and she's devoted to him. What he feels for her is a mystery to me."

"Come here. I don't want to talk about Leon right now."

"Jackie."

"Just sit down on the bed. I won't bite."

He made his way in the dark until he found the bed and she pulled him down next to her. He lay down next to her and touched her face. "What is this, Jackie?"

"I don't know," she said softly. "Part of me wants to prove that I can thrive without Leon, but there is a bigger part that's intrigued about what happens when you and I are in the same room."

"You've taken such good care of me and Emily. You've been a mother to her at a very crucial time. You're an amazing woman."

She wrapped an arm around his waist. "At first, I wondered if it was just me missing Kayla, but I feel so…good when the two of you are around. You are such a good man, and when you look at me, I can see the respect and the regard, but it's more than that. I feel something for you, and I think it's growing."

He ran his hand up her arm. "You know I have a history of chasing Jethro's exes."

"Do you feel something, Tobias?"

"You don't know what will happen when you see Leon."

"But I do. I love him and we had a beautiful marriage, but the world has changed, our children are gone, and we have changed in face of it. You are the one I was thinking about tonight when I laid here alone in the dark."

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I haven't been in love for a very long time. And you are a beautiful, strong woman. You sort of take my breath away, Jackie. I feel a little bit like a kid."

She smiled. "We'll take it slow. It's the right thing for us."

He kissed her once more, long and slow, and then he rolled away and eased out of her bed. She watched him quietly. When he got to the door, he turned his head. "You need to see Leon first. Then you and I will know if this can happen between us."

She stared at the empty doorway, desperate to understand the feelings crowding her gut.

….

He woke to the feel of fingers lightly touching his cheeks. He opened his eyes to a very familiar face. "Abby? Are we dead?"

She studied the bruises on his face. "He promised me this wouldn't happen."

"Abby!"

"Shhhhh! I'm not supposed to be here."

His breath quickened. "You've been alive this whole time."

"I was stupid to think he would protect you."

"What are you doing here? Do you work for my father?"

"I work for God, Timmy. Only God."

"Then it's not safe for you to be here."

"I saw Gibbs."

He screwed up his face in confusion. "Then we're dead? I don't understand. Are we dead, Abby?!"

"Shhhh! Gibbs didn't die in the evacuation. He was shot but he's been rescued, and he's getting stronger now."

"This is the truth?"

She smiled. "Yeah, Timmy, the man you love is alive."

His eyes grew soft and wet. "Does he know what's happening?"

"We're trying to get you out of here."

"Tell him that Esperanza needs him. Tell him that my father wants to take over Esperanza. The Emerald City needs our food. He needs to go home and protect our community."

There was a shout in the hallway. Sister Michael jerked her head toward the door and then leaned close to him. "They're going to take me away, but I will be okay. You can't tell them you know me. I am Sister Michael Bertram now, and I stopped in to give you counsel."

"What?"

"No time for explanations. You have to be strong and you have to hold on so we can get you out."

"Abby!"

The door bust open and armed guards flooded the room. Two of them pulled her away. She struggled as they dragged her out of the room. "He is in need of my counsel! The admiral will understand! Let go of me!"

A burly guard leaned over McGee jamming his pistol under his chin. "What did she say to you?"

Tim stared up at him. "She wanted to pray for my soul. Nothing more. She's a nun. Leave her alone!"

The guard stared at him for a long moment before putting his gun away and leaving the room. Alone, Tim looked up at the ceiling and let out a cry of joy.

….

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: This story has gotten crazy. I still love it, but it's become a real roller coaster. I hope it's a ride you enjoy. If you are still reading, please let me know. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 9

The guards pushed Sister Michael into the admiral's office. She was breathless and shaking when they let go. She groaned and held her stomach, memories of the previous brutality she'd suffered, bubbling to the surface.

The admiral stepped forward. "Did they hurt you? I ordered them to merely be insistent."

She lifted her face, eyes blazing. "You understand nothing about the lives of women in the afterworld, Admiral McGee!"

"You shouldn't have been in there with him. It was a betrayal of my trust."

"He is the key to Esperanza. I wanted to know if your plan to join peacefully with that community was sincere. One look at him tells me that you've been lying to me this whole time."

He shook his head. "No, I haven't. He wouldn't have been hurt if he hadn't aggressed against one of my men."

She pushed the habit off her face. "He was kidnapped and his friends killed, and you say he was the aggressor! I have been a fool to believe in your goodness."

She started for the door, but he grabbed her arm. The indignity of another man handling her erupted. She pulled away, hissing at him. "Touch me again and I'll drop you!"

"My intentions are sincere with him!"

"He's your son!"

"And who is he to you?! Your curiosity about him has not gone unnoticed these last months. Showing up in his room today just confirms my suspicions."

"I had a life before this. You knew I took vows only a year and a half ago. I knew your son in that life."

"Now, who is betraying whom?"

She glared. "I don't talk about my former life any more than you talk about yours. Tim was my friend. I haven't seen him in two years. Finding him like this at the hands of his own father…Can humanity ever be found in this godforsaken world with atrocities like this?"

He deflated. "It can, Sister. You have to believe me. I am committed to it now more than ever. I never wanted to see Tim hurt. He's my boy. What he's accomplished in Esperanza is miraculous. I want that for our city. I want a community with a soul…like you talked about."

"You've made that virtually impossible with this current action."

"Sister, if I don't find a way, Jarvis will attack them. He'll destroy what they are, and turn them all into slaves."

"You've done the same thing."

The older man leaned against a chair. "I thought decisions like that were necessary to create order out of chaos."

She shook her head. "You have created nothing more than a rigid culture steeped in paranoia and fear."

"Sister, we've made people's lives better."

She stepped toward him hesitantly. "Only if those people are young and strong. The weak and the elderly have been abandoned. You have picked and chosen much like Hitler did in Nazi Germany. You are a man who believes in God, and as you know, God watches you. God does not see you as a man walking in the way of Christ."

"I want to do the right thing. I want to be a man who is right in the eyes of God."

"Then learn from your son!" She turned to leave.

"Sister, I don't have much time. Jarvis is planning an offensive. If I can't make this right soon, a lot of good people are going to die. I think you know people. I believe you've worked both sides for a long time. Do you know a way to help?"

She walked up to him, and in a surprise move, touched his cheek. "I know someone. I just don't know if I can trust you."

He hesitated for a moment, and then grabbed her hand. "If I don't do something now, Jarvis will attack Esperanza, and he will lead the charge with my son's head on a stick. You have to trust me, Michael."

….

The man stood in Vance's living room wearing camouflage gear. "We didn't stop until they were about a mile away. Fornell's people know our protocol a little better than I'm comfortable with."

"Thank God," Gibbs said from the leather couch. "We can finally get word back to Esperanza that I'm alive."

"Where are they, Lieutenant?"

"Outside, waiting on your orders. There's a woman with him. Says she's your ex-wife."

Lucia stood up from the desk she was sitting at, and Vance sucked in breath. "Fornell promised me he wouldn't tell her."

Gibbs couldn't hide a smile creeping onto his face. "She will not be denied."

Vance looked at Lucia for a moment as if contemplating strategy.

"There's no time to manage this. It is what it is."

Leon nodded at the Lieutenant. "Bring them in."

"Good choice, Leon."

He glared at Gibbs. "It would help if you could contain your enjoyment of this just a little bit."

He shrugged. "I'll do my best."

Jethro rose slowly as the door opened, and Fornell walked in slowly. He was as white as a sheet, and leaned heavily against Jackie. Her eyes searched the room for Leon, but she caught Gibbs' first. "Jethro!"

Fornell turned his head and he clutched his chest. "Oh my God, Jethro!"

Gibbs smiled. "You know how tough I am."

The stress was too much, and Fornell fell forward. Jackie grabbed him as he slid to the ground. "Help him!"

Vance jumped forward and caught him. He turned his head. "Lucia, we need to get him to a bed!"

She crowded in and helped Jackie and Vance carry him into a bedroom. Gibbs followed. He grabbed Jackie's arm in the bedroom and felt her tremble. He pulled her in and hugged her tightly. "It's going to be okay, Jackie. He's as tough as I am. He shouldn't have travelling though. Even I knew enough to wait."

She looked up at him. "We needed to get here. They kidnapped Tim. We think there's going to be an attack from Emerald City."

"I know about Tim. We're going to get him out."

She moved to the bed as Vance and Lucia settled him in. "Tobias? Are you okay?"

He gave her half a smile. "Your latest ex-husband nearly gave me a heart attack."

Jethro leaned against the bed. "Take it easy. They were crazy to put you on the road."

"We're low on good soldiers. Seems our two best one were killed or kidnapped."

"In my case, it was merely a temporary condition."

Jackie disengaged enough to turn her attention to Vance. He was staring at her. "You…look good…it's been a long time."

She shook her head. "Have you lost all your charm, Leon?"

"I don't know what to say."

"I thought you were dead for most of two years. I'm not surprised you're a little tongue-tied."

"Can we talk about that?"

"You bet your ass we're going to talk about that. Let me see to Tobias first." She turned her attention back to Fornell.

Lucia slapped the wall and stormed out of the room. Jackie lifted her head, giving Vance a hard look. "That answers my questions about her."

….

Tony sat at the top of a hill in the grass next to Emily Fornell. He pointed at a trail leading into the forest. "That's the trail I want you to take if the bell rings. Go to the signpost at Main and County Rd. 42 at the corner of town with the girls the minute you hear that bell. Wait five minutes but no more. You're going to lead the kids that show up down that trail."

She shook her head, eyes bleary. "I don't want to do it."

He ignored her. "Follow the trail down to the creek and take it north. The little kids are going to want to rest, but you have to be tough with them. Make sure the older kids are holding hands with the little ones. You're going to have to walk for a long time until you find the cabin. It has a red chimney."

He pulled a key on a string out of his pocket. "I want you to put this around your neck and don't take it off. You get there, unlock it, put all the kids inside, and lock it up. There's already water and food stored up there. You wait there until someone comes to get you. Understand me?"

A small sob escaped her throat. "Please don't make me do this, Tony."

He turned her face toward his. "It's going to be okay, Emily. That bell is probably not going to ring, but if it does, I need you to take these children to safety. I'm trusting you with Amala and Nadine. Mothers all over Esperanza are trusting you with their children. I chose you because I know you can do it."

She dropped her face into her hands and sobbed. "I'm so tired of the killing and the hiding and the running! I thought we came here to be away from all that!"

He rubbed her back. "I hear you, Honey. I'm tired too, but if we win this fight, I think we're going to be safe for a very long time."

"I wish my dad were here." She hiccupped into her hands.

"He'll be back soon, and he'll be very proud of you and everything you're doing to help the community."

She lifted her face. "I want to be like my dad."

"You already are. You're the only one I can trust with this."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll try to do a good job. 'Mala and Nadine listen to me really good. Ziva says it's a miracle."

He chuckled. "Anyone who can get Amala to behave is a miracle worker."

…..

Vance slid open the patio door and walked outside. Jackie hugged a cardigan around herself in the wind of a coming storm. "I'm surprised to find you outside the way you were fussing over Tobias Fornell."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Jealousy isn't a good look for you, Leon."

He walked up next to her. "Do you understand what happened between us?"

She nodded. "You couldn't forgive yourself. Every time you look at me, you see Kayla and Jared. And worst of all, you thought I was capable of forgiving you for everything and you couldn't live with that."

He sighed. "I knew when I married you that I was boxing above my weight. You're always one step ahead."

She stroked his arm. "I understand why you couldn't get vaccines for us, but you weren't there when they were dying. I was so alone and abandoned. When you came for me, I needed you because you could understand the depth of what we'd lost, but make no mistake- I never did forgive you for letting them die."

His lower lip trembled. "I thought…they were so strong, and you were so strong. I thought…we would find a miracle."

She shook her head. "God wasn't handing them out in those early days. You gambled and we lost."

"So I was right to stay away."

She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I don't know. I know you were a coward to run from you. I know I still, I love you and I'm a terribly loyal person."

He pulled her in and held her tightly. "I wasn't prepared to see you again. It's a little hard to breathe."

She sighed as he rocked her gently. "We can't get confused, Leon. She's beautiful, she seems to love you, and I would guess that she's about four months pregnant."

He let go of her. "I didn't…she isn't showing. How could you tell?"

"I'm a mother, Leon. I can see it in her posture, and her hands keep brushing her belly."

"We didn't plan it."

She squeezed his arm. "Nobody plans pregnancies in this world. Tell her not to worry. I never planned on staying."

"I'm a dog."

She shook her head. "You are an amazing man desperate for a way to find a life in the afterworld. I'm not angry because I knew even before we got here that I'd be going back to Esperanza without you. It's the choice I would've made regardless. Esperanza is my home and my family now."

"Is it Gibbs? Fornell?"

She smiled. "Gibbs is a remarkable friend. Our marriage was a mutually beneficial arrangement- nothing romantic. As for Tobias…I feel something for him. I'm not a housewife anymore. I lead a very special community. He's a good and intelligent man who isn't threatened by my power. There's a sweetness about him that I'm really drawn to."

"Do you love him?"

She nodded. "I think it's possible. We just need some time. I know I love his daughter."

"I want you to be happy, Jackie."

"I don't know if happy is on the agenda for either of us, especially in a world as dark and dangerous as this one, but I have a great sense of purpose and I feel deeply passionate about what I'm doing."

He hugged her again, burying his face in her neck. "Then we have both chosen the right path for our lives."

…

The admiral smoothed his uniform before he walked into Jarvis' office. Jarvis looked up when he entered but didn't rise. His disrespect for McGee was becoming more evident with each meeting. Admiral McGee knew that it was only planning and managerial genius that kept him alive in this city. "Admiral, thank you for making time."

"I'm still working with my son to negotiate entrance into Esperanza."

"He's not going to break."

Admiral McGee felt something in his gut. "I just need a couple more days."

"We don't have time for you to work out your father son issues. We'll be out of supplies in a few weeks."

"If we destroy Esperanza, we won't be able to utilize in the way that we need."

"How are you doing with our integration plans?"

He sighed. "This is why it's important to not destroy the infrastructure they've already created."

"Admiral, we're not going to be using rocket launchers. We're limited to handguns and rifles. If there are casualties, we can always compensate with our own populace. The infrastructure will be left in peace."

"I would like another day to work on my son."

Jarvis stood. "It's not going to happen. I spent the afternoon with him. He's resolved to not cooperate. He no longer figures into our plans."

Admiral McGee's face reddened. "What did you do?"

"Well, he's still alive, Admiral."

"What did you do?!" Admiral McGee turned to leave.

"Stop! You're not going anywhere until you clarify for me your loyalties. Are they to your son or are they to the Emerald City?"

"My loyalty is to you, Jarvis. That's really your question, isn't it?"

"So you are loyal to me."

"I have to be. You control so many lives. If I'm not loyal to you, I can't help them. I can't help to develop our city."

Jarvis sighed. "Loyalty through obligation- it's not ideal."

"It's all you're owed, Jarvis. You rule through fear and intimidation. What else can you expect?"

"I won't tolerate anything less than total commitment from you, Admiral. You can be easily replaced."

McGee shook his head. "That becomes more attractive every day. Excuse me now. I have to see what you've done to my son."

…

Tim lay curled up on the floor where Jarvis and his men left him. Moving to the cot would've been too painful. He was sure that his ribs were in tatters. He spent of the interrogation being revived after repeated beatings to his torso and face.

Bile rose again in his throat and he concentrated on relaxing his breathing so he didn't vomit. The pain of it was excruciating. He looked down at the concrete colored with splotches of blood that had come up from previous vomiting. It told him that he was bleeding internally.

The end was coming for him, and it surprised him how overwhelmed he was by the loneliness of dying by himself. It struck him that Jethro would never know what happened to him and a wave of sadness washed over him.

The door to his cell opened and light landed on him. He squinted into it. His father knelt beside him. "I didn't know, Tim. I didn't know. I'm a fool and a coward, and I made too many compromises."

Tim moaned. Admiral McGee's flashlight ghosted over the blood on the floor and he gasped. "Did you vomit this? Oh God! I have to get help!"

He started to rise, but Tim grabbed his arm, shaking his head. "Please Dad…stay…I don't want to die alone."

"No! You're going to be okay."

His jaw was so swollen that words came out shapeless. "Jarvis told me that if I survived the night…he would shoot me in the morning."

"I won't let him!"

Tim looked up at his father, his eyes swollen to slits. "I don't think you have the power…to stop him."

"I may be an old fool, but I'm a smart, old fool. This isn't over, Tim."

He tried to grow a smile but the swelling couldn't support it. "Help me remember the old world when I was a kid and you meant everything in the world to me. Tell me some of those stories."

The old man touched the bruises on his son's face, his voice cracking. "You're breaking my heart, Timothy. You're breaking my heart."

"I'm just glad…you still have one, Dad."

…..

Jackie slipped into the living room where Gibbs, Vance, and Fornell were debriefing on all things Emerald City. She stopped at Fornell's chair and rested a hand lightly on his shoulder. Vance stopped speaking mid-sentence when he saw her.

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's been a long day, and Tobias and Jethro are still recuperating. Could some of this be saved for morning?"

Gibbs nodded. "It's a good place to stop."

She looked sideways at Fornell. "You ready for bed?"

"Ah…I guess so."

"Good. We're down the hall." She gently helped him to his feet and led him away.

Vance stared after her. "Do you think that's real, Gibbs?"

Jethro raised an eyebrow. "I shouldn't have to tell you that your ex-wife doesn't play games."

…..

She closed the door gently behind her. Fornell sat on the bed unbuttoning his shirt. He watched her closely. "Please tell me that elaborate scene wasn't just a punishment for Leon."

She walked up and helped him pull his shirt off. "It was my way of saying good-bye."

He pulled her down beside him. "It could've waited, Jackie. We're in the man's house."

She shook her head. "He's conflicted, and I needed to show him that I'm not. I'll always love him from the deepest part of my heart, but it's time for a new chapter."

He ran fingers down the soft skin under her neck. "And I figure in this new chapter?"

She smiled softly. "In my mind, yes. I hope that you feel the same."

"I'm not a fickle man, Jackie. Once I commit, it's going to be hard to get rid of me."

She lay down on the bed, and pulled him in behind her. "I was hoping you would say that, Tobias."

He settled in behind her, running a hand around her waist and settling his hand on the bare skin of her midriff. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and whispered. "One of these nights I'm going to feel good enough to get frisky with you, and you're going to know just what a good idea it was to hook up with old Tobias Fornell."

The ache in the pit of her stomach grew fainter as she smiled into her pillow.

…

"Please come Jethro!"

Gibbs sat up straight in the night, the outline of Lucia standing in the doorway. Years of training had him reaching for his pants without a single question. Within seconds, he was stumbling after her. Without electricity, the most well lit place at night was outside in the moonlight. She slipped out the patio doors and he followed her. Vance was out there trying to calm a very agitated Sister Michael.

Gibbs brushed past Lucia and grabbed Sister Michael by the shoulders. "Abby! What's happened?"

She blinked at him, and for a moment, he thought she was going to scold him for using her old world name, but she grabbed him and hugged him tightly. "Oh Gibbs, I don't know what to do."

He held her. "It's okay. Take slow. Tell me what happened."

She pushed away from him, and he could see the trembling in her hands. "I saw Tim. He's beat up bad. He's in a cell."

"Can you get me in, Abby?"

Vance shook his head. "Impossible! There are at least three checkpoints you have to make. If he's injured, forget it."

Gibbs shook his head. "Doing nothing is not an option, Leon."

Sister Michael took a deep breath. "I think the admiral is ready to turn."

Gibbs scowled. "It's a trap."

"I don't think so. He's shaken. He's been ambivalent for months, and he asked me for help."

Gibbs shook his head and she erupted. "I'm not a forensics scientist anymore!"

He turned on her. "No, you're a nun! You're supposed to have faith in people! You want to believe him!"

"I feel it, Gibbs. My instincts are right. He wants a way out. He wants to help. I think he'll do anything to get Tim out of there."

Vance turned to Gibbs. "I believe Sister Michael. She's shown excellent instincts over the last year."

Hands on his hips, Gibbs thought for a moment and then nodded. "How are we getting me in?"

She held up a bag of clothes. "You're going to be Father Watts."

….

She put down the binoculars when she heard the footsteps on the stairs up to the church steeple. Tony handed her a cup of coffee and she smiled. "Thanks. Are the girls asleep?"

He nodded. "Nadine wanted to rock Amala to sleep so she sat in my lap and Amala sat in hers. Amazingly, it worked. They both fell asleep in minutes. Emily is with them."

He settled in beside her and she leaned over, kissing him slowly. "Three months ago, you didn't have any of this."

"I was drowning back then."

"I'm glad you're on dry ground now, my love," she said as she kissed him again.

He snaked a hand under her shirt. "We have to be careful. You're on lookout."

"No, I'm not. The view here doesn't reach the highway. I just got restless and headed for the highest point in town."

He wrapped his arms around her. "They could be here as soon as tomorrow."

"I know."

"Do you think we're ready?"

Ziva sighed. "We're as ready as we can be."

"I'm scared, Ziva. Most of our people are not soldiers."

She leaned into his chest. "Me too. It's one thing when it's just us doing our jobs, but this is about all of these beautiful people and everything we've built. Then I think about our girls and I'm petrified."

He stroked her curls. "We can do this. We have to. It's the only way to keep our family safe."

"We don't know what the next days will bring. We might not have time alone again." She nipped at the crook of his neck.

He grinned. "That sounds like an invitation."

"You never used to need one," she said as she helped him pull her shirt over her head.

He laid her back on the floor, sat back on his haunches, and looked at her laying there, her hair wild on the floor. He reached down and ran his fingers lightly down her torso. "You've been the only one for me since the day I met you. For the time we have left in this world, you need to know that I live my life for you and our children."

She reached for him. "No more speeches. Just make love to me and make it last forever."

…..

It wasn't until the entrance to the admiral's office that they encountered resistance. The lieutenant at the desk was adamant. "It's four a.m., Sister. Under no circumstances am I going to wake the admiral at this hour. He worked until after midnight."

"Trust me, Lieutenant. He wants to see me. He has been waiting to meet Father Watts for a long time."

"The admiral would have my head, Sister."

Gibbs had to restrain himself from grabbing the lieutenant by the collar and teaching him a little protocol. Sister Michael stomped her foot. "Do I have to go to Jarvis?!"

Before the lieutenant could respond, a commander came running down the hall. "Sister Michael, I'm so glad you're here! The admiral is expecting you."

The lieutenant stood in confusion. "I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't realize…I had no orders."

The commander ignored his subordinate. "I see you've brought the…Father. Excellent! Follow me."

Sister Michael looked at Gibbs in confusion, but he nodded, urging her forward. It seemed unlikely that an arrest would be this elaborate. They followed him through the building, down stairs to the basement, and out an emergency exit. It was still dark and he walked them around the building to the dumpsters. He looked around the deserted space before turning to them. "We don't have a lot of time, Sister, so I need you to listen closely. The admiral has gone rogue. Had to. Jarvis was planning a firing squad for him and his son this morning. A number of us have joined him in going off grid. Jarvis will probably figure it out within the next couple of hours."

Gibbs stepped forward, all pretense of a passive cleric forgotten. "Where is the admiral's son?!"

"I have a jeep waiting for you at the corner of W St. and Cedar Ave."

"The son!" Gibbs yelled into his face.

"I don't know! These are my orders! Go!" The commander pulled away and ran back into the building.

Gibbs whirled on his heel and cursed. He closed his eyes for a moment and then grabbed her arm. "Let's go!"

They walked as fast as they could without risking attention. Abby knew the area well, and it only took them minutes to find the jeep and a driver. The jeep drove slowly and doubled back more than once. Gibbs recognized the crude attempts at shaking a tail yet he knew he had to stay patient. He did his best to help the driver keep a lookout for vehicles following, but the streets were quite deserted. Finally, the driver stopped at an apartment complex and told them to go to apartment 315. Gibbs' injuries were catching up with him, but he pushed himself. The last flight of steps, Sister Michael put her arm around his waist and pulled him to the final landing. When they opened the door, they found themselves staring at least six armed marines.

…

They were led into an apartment that was full of sailors and marines. They all seemed to be waiting for something. Gibbs and Sister Michael were pushed onto a couch and told to wait. A few minutes later, Admiral McGee emerged from a bedroom. Gone was the stiff naval uniform and medals. He wore a civilian dress shirt and trousers. He walked up to them. "Abby, I knew I could count on you."

She looked up at him in alarm.

He smiled. "Tim sent so many pictures to my wife. I've known your face for years."

"I wasn't a plant, and I'm not Abby Scuito anymore."

"I know. I believe that your intentions have always been honorable."

"Where's Tim?" Gibbs' eyes were blazing.

The admiral sighed. "I would've preferred you brought Vance, but I suppose this showdown was inevitable. Tim is here. He's resting. You can see him in a few minutes."

Sister Michael looked around the room. "I don't understand what's happening here."

"I'm in charge of all logistics. The reason supplies are so low in the city is because I've been rerouting them for months now. My people and I have been getting ready to break from the Emerald City. My intentions have always been sincere. I want my people to have a life like the one my son created in Esperanza."

Gibbs shook his head. "What you've done is push Jarvis to attack us! He thinks his people will starve."

"He would've attacked Esperanza regardless. People have been questioning his policies for some time now. A show of strength is necessary to quell the dissent. My proposal to you is this. Accept my people into your community and we'll bring supplies and firepower. We'll defend Esperanza against the Emerald City."

"We don't need you."

"Yes, you do. You're just a bunch of housewives turned farmers with guns. You need more trained soldiers."

"Yes, and then when we've defended against Jarvis, you'll stage a coup and take over."

The admiral shook his head. "The offer does not include me. I haven't earned Esperanza. If you agree to this, my people have to commit to following your leadership."

"How many?"

"300. Most of them are already waiting outside the city. They move on your orders."

"What happens to you?"

"I have a date with a firing squad."

Gibbs frowned. "I don't understand. A man of your ambitions doesn't strike me as suicidal."

He looked down. "It's justice."

Sister Michael moved toward him. "I don't understand, Admiral."

When he lifted his head, his eyes were wet. "Tim is dying. Jarvis' men almost killed him yesterday. He's bleeding internally. The nurse with us says she can't stop it. I let this happen. I was arrogant to think…I could control things. When he's gone, I really have no reason left to stay in this world."

Gibbs pointed a finger in the old man's face. "You're not getting off so easy, old man. You don't die until I say so."

The admiral didn't flinch. "You need to say your good-byes now. Jarvis intends to move mid afternoon. He plans to surprise them at dusk, and you better have people waiting for him."

Gibbs' breath caught. "Where is he?"

The admiral squeezed the bridge of his nose. "He's been telling me about you, Gibbs. It's still a little hard for me to understand, but you're the one he needs to see right now."

Gibbs brushed past him. "Which room?"

The admiral pointed to the door at the end of the hallway and Gibbs took off.

….

The nurse was at the window when he opened the door. She was looking at an X-ray in the morning sun. Tim was in the bed hooked up to IV's of fluids and plasma. Jethro stayed in the doorway and stared at him. His face was so bruised and swollen that he doubted he would've recognized him on his own. The nurse turned to him and gestured for him to close the room. Jethro closed the door quietly. "How is he?"

She shook her head.

He moved over to the window. "Can I see the X-ray?"

She handed it to him and he looked at it through the sun. Ducky had taught him a lot about X-rays over the years, and he winced as he spotted clear breaks at three different areas of the chest wall. "Is he still bleeding?"

"Yes. His blood pressure is very low."

"Can he be moved?"

"No. He almost coded being brought here. Can't risk it."

Gibbs swallowed. "How long?"

She shrugged. "Ten minutes, a few hours, a day- there's no way to know."

"I have a friend who told me that sometimes internal bleeds can repair themselves."

She sighed. "I don't think you can count on that here."

Gibbs rubbed fingers back and forth across his mouth. "Can I be alone for him for a little while?"

She nodded and left quietly. He stared out the window for a moment, trying to control the emotion in his throat. Then he felt fingers slip through his. "Jethro?"

He let out a ragged breath and turned to him with wet eyes. "How you feeling, Love?"

Tim's long fingers gripped his. "I knew Abby wouldn't lie to me. Tony didn't know for sure. I could tell it in his voice. Should've gone looking for you myself."

Jethro sat on the bed and touched his face gingerly. "You wouldn't have found me. Vance spirited me away soon after I fell."

Tim moaned and he pressed his hand against his side. "I don't have much time, and you need to go. Jarvis is coming for our people."

"I'm not going anywhere until you promise that you'll be here when I get back. Do you understand? I'm coming back for you."

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"Promise me!" Jethro stared into his eyes.

Tim nodded. "I promise."

Jethro closed his eyes and kissed Tim gently. "You have to live, Tim, 'cause I can't do it without you. I thought you understand that."

"You can do anything in the world."

He shook his head. "A man can't live without his heart. Surely, a bright guy like you knows that."

"Jethro, I need to tell you something."

Gibbs nodded.

"We have a daughter now. The child you saved when you were shot. Her name is Nadine. If I can't keep your promise, you need to know that you have family to go home to. She needs you."

He smiled. "She's going to need both of us, Tim. Raising girls is hard. I know all about it."

Tim nodded and closed his eyes. Gibbs leaned his cheek against Tim's and prayed.

….

Gibbs came out of the bedroom and headed straight for the admiral. He walked into him, pushing the man hard against the living room wall. Around him, guns came out everywhere. The admiral put up a hand. "Stand down. I'm no longer your superior. You answer to this man now."

Guns were slowly holstered. Gibbs stared into Admiral McGee's eyes. "Your job is to keep him alive."

"He's dying."

He slammed the wall. "I don't accept that! Will you protect him until I come for him?"

The admiral nodded.

Gibbs relaxed. "You'll never understand what we have, but it's real and it's good. I need him. Esperanza needs him."

"I'll take care of him, Gibbs."

"Good." Gibbs stepped away. He saw Sister Michael sitting on the couch with a set of fatigues in her lap, tears streaming down her face. He knelt in front of her. Abby?"

She looked up, hiccupping sobs. "He says I have to wear this. He says I'm not safe in my habit anymore. Jarvis knows I'm his ally. I can't wear this. I can't take off my habit. I took a vow."

He stroked her face. "I have a big mission for you. You need to get to Vance, and tell him everything. We're going to need his help."

"I'll lose who I am. Don't you understand?!"

"Shhh! You're not alone anymore and you don't need the habit, Abs. You'll wear the fatigues, and do the mission because it's still God's work."

She looked into his eyes. "Timmy?"

"He's fighting, Abs. He wants to stay with us and we need him. He needs you to pray for him. Can you do that?"

She nodded.

"Put these on and hurry. They're just clothes, Abs."

She got up and hurried into the bathroom. Gibbs stood and turned to the soldiers. "You belong to me now. We're going to fight to protect something good. And when we win, you're going to live in a beautiful place where people work to create a decent life for everyone. If you want a part of that, then you need to follow me now."

….

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: One more chapter to go! It's an ambitious story and I promised big things, and so I'm doing the best I can to deliver. I really hope I delivered. Please let me know if it translated. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 10

Abby felt shaky as Vance's men escorted her to his house. She was in the fatigues that Admiral McGee's people had given to her, but she felt as if she was naked. The habit and its flowing robes had protected her; it had wrapped her in the safety of God's presence. Still, she steeled herself so she would be focused for the enormous task before her.

The admiral's men had gotten her as close to Vance's place as possible without risking a skirmish, and while it was only 10 a.m., there was little time to waste before Jarvis' attack. The pants felt odd on her legs as she bounded up the steps and screamed for Vance. The former director was already at the door as she stumbled past him.

"What happened, Sister?!"

She looked around wildly. "Where are Fornell and Jackie?"

He led her out to the patio where they sat deep in conversation. Fornell jumped to his feet. "Where's Jethro? What do you know?"

She ran a hand over the stubble on her naked head. "Jarvis will attack Esperanza at dusk today! Gibbs was with me. We saw Tim." She stopped and bent over, breathing hard.

Jackie was there, rubbing her back. "Take it slow, Abby. What happened?"

She straightened up. "The admiral has broken with Jarvis. He's taken supplies, people, and he's turned them over to Gibbs."

Vance smiled. "That ol' bastard followed through."

"What?!" Fornell frowned.

"I met with him in secret about three months ago. He told me he was planning something like this, but I thought it was a trap. I got out of there and resisted further attempts at contact. Had no expectations of that bastard."

"Could've mentioned it."

"You were pre-occupied, Tobias. You had refugees to save."

"What do you mean he gave them to Jethro? And where is Tim!?" Jackie demanded.

"Jethro has three hundred troops under his command. He's looking to set them up thirty miles south of Esperanza. He's hoping to stop Jarvis there. He needs you on the road now. He doesn't have time to communicate with Tony and Ziva. He needs you to liaise with them."

Fornell paced. "Okay. Damn, we don't have much time."

"Tim!" Jackie shook Abby. "Where's Tim?"

"He's dying," she whispered as she shuddered in Jackie's grip. "They almost beat him to death. The admiral has him, but he can't be moved. Gibbs had to leave him. It was horrible."

"No!" Jackie cried.

Fornell slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, whispering in her ear. "Esperanza has to be everything now. We don't have time for distractions."

She looked at him for a long moment and nodded. She turned to Leon. "Can you help my community?"

He nodded slowly. "We do guerilla warfare and we do it well. I don't have a large force, but we can menace their advance. I have some ideas, but right now, you and Tobias need to be the road. You have a lot of work to do."

"You're coming with us, Abby."

She shook her head. The idea of reuniting with so many people from her old life paralyzed her.

"You don't have a choice. You're a target now. Jarvis will consider you a traitor. You can't stay here."

She seemed unable to respond.

"I'm going to need your help." Fornell grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house, adrenaline fueling a newfound strength within him.

Jackie turned to Vance. "This is good-bye, Leon. I can hope that we meet again, but I know that Esperanza isn't for you. You'll never accept the tedium of small town life. You've always been a bit of a rogue at heart."

He stroked her cheek softly. "My love for you is the deepest I've ever experienced. It's etched in my soul forever."

She took his hand and gripped it tightly. "Sometimes, love is not enough."

"Tobias is a good man, but it's hard to resist an urge to punch him into next week."

"Don't you dare! He's just back on his feet. Give him a month and it'll be a fair fight."

"Is he right for you?"

She cocked her head. "It's not what I felt with you, but it has the potential to be just as good. Leon, focus on what's happening for you. You're going to be a father again, and that's such a blessing. You need to know that our children don't begrudge you this new chapter."

His eyes searched hers. "Do you think they see us?"

"It doesn't cost anything to believe. And in my heart, I feel that they are near. I suspect they understand what's happening to us better than we do."

He pulled her to him tightly. "I have so many regrets."

She shook her head and whispered in his neck. "Your regrets are too heavy. Look to the future. The world needs a Robin Hood right now and you better not disappoint."

She pulled away. "I have to go now. Take care, Leon."

The urgency of the day was clear, but he couldn't deny himself a few minutes to accommodate the tears that slid down his cheeks as she disappeared inside the house.

…

A Marine Captain named Vicks drove him out to a staging area in an old county park about twenty miles north of D.C. Gibbs shook his head at the resources the admiral had amassed. There were supply trucks, fuel trucks, and at least twenty jeeps. Solders in combat gear were everywhere. Gibbs turned to Vicks. "How much do they know?"

"The admiral cherry picked soldiers who were dissatisfied with the Emerald City. Almost all of them have stories of friends or family that disappeared without a trace or they've had to participate in missions that left them with a bad taste in their mouth."

Gibbs nodded. "Gather them. I need to speak to the group before we do anything."

Vicks nodded and trotted off, shouting orders in all directions. Gibbs climbed onto the hood of a supply truck and waited until the soldiers were surrounding him. He raised a hand and waited until there was silence. It took a moment to survey the group. He had only one chance to get this right. "Soldiers, my name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and you are now under my command. Our mission today is to protect the community of Esperanza, a community none of you personally know. The payoff is that if you protect it, you become part of it."

He paused for a moment but noted only silence. "Esperanza is a simple place. We work hard and share everything, and while everyone has enough, no one has too much. I don't know if that sounds like much of a prize to you or not, but it means everything to us. If that doesn't work for you, you can leave. I'll give you an hour to clear the area. After that you'll be considered an enemy combatant. Any questions?"

A heavily muscled man at the front of the crowd shouted. "How do we know you're not another Jarvis?"

"You don't. I can only tell you this. Jarvis wants what we have. He'll always want what's not his. It's how he's built. You're only as good as what you can bring to him. If you get sick or injured, you're abandoned. I'm a former Marine sergeant. I don't know how to abandon people. In Esperanza, we live as one and we'll die as one."

The muscled man turned to his comrades. "That's good enough for me! Uh-rah!"

"Uh-rah!" The screams resounded everywhere. Gibbs nodded and slid off the truck. He turned to Vicks. "Let's put these people in vehicles. I know a place to set up a defense about sixty miles north of here."

…

Tony was sitting in the town hall with his team looking over the town's defense when a runner came bursting in. "Troops heading in this direction! One of the scout jeeps just rolled in."

Tony stood. "How far away?"

The panicked kid took a deep breath. "40 miles north of D.C. Scout says they were moving at about 30 miles per hour."

Tony turned to his group. "Today's the day. Sound the alarm. I want all the children at the meeting spot in twenty minutes. All team leaders meet back here in 30 minutes. Go!"

He jumped off the stage and ran down the street. He barreled through the door of the house, "Ziva!"

He was greeted with silence. He ran through the living room and pulled bedroom doors open. He found all of them in Amala's nursery. Nadine was playing blocks with Amala while Emily and Ziva sat on the floor against the wall and watched. They looked up in alarm at Tony. He took a deep breath. "They're coming."

Ziva scrambled to her feet. "How long?"

"It could be two, maybe three hours."

She pulled Amala up from the floor and hugged her tightly. "Alright, we have to get moving."

Nadine could feel the tension around her, and she started bawling. Tony picked her up and rocked her. "It's okay, Dini. It's okay."

Emily stayed on the floor, her arms around her middle. "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can, Emily. You can do this. You can lead the children out of here."

She shook her head. "Don't make me."

Ziva reached for her hand and pulled her up. "We need you, Em. The kids need you. You're the strongest one."

"I'm scared."

"We're all scared, honey."

Tony lifted her chin. "You can do this, Emily. You're smart and strong and brave."

Tears ran down her cheeks, but finally she nodded. "Okay."

Tony pressed his face to Amala's head and breathed in her essence. Finally, he kissed her softly. "We'll see you soon, my beautiful baby girl."

Then he stepped away, blinking hard. "I gotta' get back to the town hall."

Ziva nodded. "I'll help Emily get the girls ready and then I'll meet you there."

…

Tim opened his eyes and saw his father sitting in a chair next to the window, wearing a simple white dress shirt and a pair of pants. He listened for a moment, but there was none of the noise he'd heard earlier in the apartment. "Dad?"

The admiral turned to him and smiled. "Gibbs told me you weren't going to give up."

"Where is everyone?"

"They're with your…Gibbs. I even sent the nurse. Figured they would need her more than you and I would."

Tim grunted. "What if I don't die?"

The admiral sighed. "I've been praying all day just for that. I haven't had much of a relationship with hope in recent years, but your…he's filled with it. I figured it was time to take a lesson from him."

"You can hardly say his name, Dad. The idea I fell in love with a man is that foreign to you."

"I guess so?"

"It's real, Dad."

"Yeah, I could see it in his eyes. I believe he would die for you."

"That's who he is. His intensity and drive is a good match for me. It's hard to explain. We care about the same things, and so much of our love is grounded in mutual respect and admiration. Plus, the intimacy is better than I ever imagined it could be."

The admiral winced. "You had to tell me that."

"I'm in my final hours. I'll say whatever I want."

"I just thought you liked girls."

"Get over it already, Dad."

"I guess I'm going to have to."

"Can Esperanza be saved? It means so very much to me."

"If Gibbs is half the leader I think he is, then there's a real chance for your little town."

Tim rolled his head from side to side. "My whole body hurt so much earlier. Now, I don't feel anything."

"I turned up your morphine drip."

Tim lifted his head and scowled. "Don't help me leave this world! Jethro taught me to always fight. I promised him I wouldn't give up. What the hell are you doing?!"

The admiral got up and fussed with the IV. "I was trying to help you be more comfortable."

"Giving up is the wrong thing to do. I can see you sitting there waiting for me to die so you can go out and fall on your sword. Knock it off!"

"You got a lot of kick in you for a guy hopped up on morphine."

"You don't give me any choice. With you ready to jump out the window, I'm on my own here. Come on now. I need you to get your head back in the game."

He smiled. "I used to say that to you when you were a kid."

"I know. And as you remember, sports analogies were generally lost on me."

"Well, if I had known then that you were gay-"

"I was not gay when I was a kid! This is not about men. It's about Jethro- it's complicated."

"We just don't know how to have an easy conversation, do we Timothy?"

He shook his head and then started groaning. Admiral McGee got up. "You okay? Tell me you're okay."

Tim winced. "I'm not okay, Dad. I'm dying."

"You need more morphine."

Tim waved him away from the IV. "Leave it alone. I'm not giving up."

Admiral McGee sat on the bed, resting his hand lightly on his son's torso. "Please Tim, I don't want you to suffer."

Tim gripped his hand. "Just sit with me, Dad. I don't care if we fight. Just stay with me."

"I won't leave you, Timothy. Being with you is only thing that matters to me now…my sweet boy." The admiral did nothing to hide the moisture in his eyes.

…

Fornell paced by the side of the road. He, Jackie, and Abby were waiting at the spot he and Jethro had discussed as a good place for a defense. He was worried that things had gone wrong, and Jethro hadn't gotten the resources Admiral McGee had promised. He knew Jarvis had enough armor to cut through the weapons Esperanza had access to. The community wouldn't give up easily, but Fornell pictured weeks of fighting, and that meant the body count was going to be high.

He heard the sounds of vehicles and herded Jackie and Abby behind trees. Around the corner came supply trucks, jeeps, and troops. Fornell let out a cry of relief when they stopped and Gibbs jumped out of the lead vehicle with a Marine Captain in tow.

"Jethro!" He strode toward him and enveloped him in a hug.

"Hey Tobias! This is Captain Vicks."

"I'm glad you brought friends."

Gibbs pointed at a ridge near the highway. "I'm putting fifty soldiers up there, and another seventy-five in the meadow to the left. I positioned approximately one hundred about half a mile back. The rest are going to dig in about half a mile north of here. Vance is going to disrupt them in the rear. We have to hit them hard. Retreat is not our goal. We need to decimate as many as possible so there's no opportunity to regroup."

"What do you need from me?"

"Vicks is going to go back and command the troops at the front. I'm going to be coordinating things here, and I need you to coordinate the group that's digging in."

"I have no combat experience."

"You'll have a lieutenant and two sergeants at your disposal. They don't know the area like you do. Plus, you've been engaging in combat the last two years; you're just doing it without uniforms. We also need to get word back to Tony and Ziva. We need at least 200 Esperanzans up here with us. It will help these soldiers understand that the community is fighting alongside them."

Tobias nodded. "I'll send Jackie and Abby back to Esperanza with your orders."

Gibbs turned and left with Vicks. Tobias noted his stiff demeanor. It was military, necessary to get through this crisis, but he knew his friend's heart must be hurting deeply.

…

Fornell pushed Jackie and Abby toward the jeep. "You need to get to Tony as soon as possible."

Jackie resisted. "You should come with us, Tobias. Emily needs to know that you're safe."

"I have a duty here."

She shook her head. "You need to think for a moment…I should stay."

Fornell frowned at her and then turned to Abby. "Get in the jeep. Jackie will be with you in a minute."

He pulled her a few feet away. "What's going on?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I want to fight. It's my community, and unlike you, I don't have family to grieve for me. For once, we need to think about the children."

"Hey Jackie." He lifted her chin. "You got more family than anybody I know. What's wrong with you?"

She rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "I'm scared, Tobias. Esperanza means so much to me. And…so do you. It's not supposed to happen this quickly. I thought we would find love eventually…but I think it found me a little sooner than I'd anticipated."

He pulled her into a hug. "Hey, it's okay. I'm no fool. I know a treasure when I see one. I'm going to be okay and not just for Emily. I'm coming back for you. I've been unlucky in love so long…I'm not letting this go for anything. You hear?"

She nodded, blinking wildly. "I'm acting like a girl."

He cupped her face, pushing away tears with his thumb. "You're perfect, Jackie. You're absolutely perfect."

"Stay safe." She said as she pulled away and jumped into the jeep. He watched as they sped off, and only then realized that he was holding one hand over his pounding heart.

…

Abby's knees felt so weak that she had to hold on to the jeep to stay upright after Tony finished his bear hug. With the news that Gibbs was alive and needed him to move troops down the road, DiNozzo went running off to gather his people. Abby looked around and spotted Ziva. The Israeli woman approached slowly. When she got to Abby, she wrapped her arms around her gently. For a few minutes, the two women just held each other. Then Ziva pulled back and stroked her stubbly head. "We don't have time for your story right now, but when the time comes, I want to hear everything."

Abby nodded, unable to trust her voice.

"I love you from a place deep in my heart, little sister. I'm so grateful that you've come home."

Abby swallowed. "I need to help."

"Follow this street until the intersection and then take a right. There is a school building with a hospital space on the first floor. You're needed there." Ziva pulled her face down and kissed her forehead. "Seeing you again is a gift from God. I can feel it."

Then she disappeared. Abby let go of the vehicle and started walking down the street. It looked completely old world, almost as if a pandemic had never occurred. People ran frantically in all directions, and while she could feel the fear around her, the town itself felt safe. She still wished for her habit, but she didn't feel as exposed as she had before. She reached the school and climbed the steps, following people as they moved in and out of the gymnasium. There were cots everywhere, and supplies were lined up on tables along the walls. Someone rushed by her and Abby grabbed her arm. "I'm here to help. Who do I talk to?"

The woman pointed at the old man checking the supply of drugs, and Abby's heart burst. She wrapped her arms around her middle and the tears fell. At first her voice was weak, "Ducky."

Nothing happened. The chaos continued and she tried again, "Ducky."

"Ducky!" She called, certain that her legs were about to fail her. He straightened up and blinked and then he turned and saw her standing in the middle of the room. He adjusted his glasses and a hand went to his mouth. Then she felt arms around her shoulders and she screamed. Dr. Jimmy Palmer pulled her to him. "It's okay, Abby. It's just Jimmy."

She shook so much that she knew he must be the only thing holding her up, and she clung to him tightly. The only responses she could manage were staccato sobs. He walked her over to Ducky who gathered her in his arms and rocked her. It took minutes before she could hiccup out words. "I thought…I knew who I was. I don't know…who am I supposed to be? What does God want? It used to be…so clear. Has he left me?"

The two men looked at each other in confusion. Then Ducky lifted her face. "God is with you, Abby. He or she or whatever you believe is in your heart. That's what you once told me and I believe it."

"I've been…stripped of everything that kept me safe. How can I do his work…without my identity?"

"What has he called you to do?" He asked her softly.

"To serve those who are hurt and abandoned."

"Just as you were."

Abby couldn't respond to the truth of it.

He patted her head. "No one is forgotten in Esperanza, but we can put you to work with the injured, my dear. I think God would be quite pleased with that."

She nodded and tried to rise, but she fell back. Jimmy looked at Ducky. "Look how pale she is. She needs food and water before she does anything."

He trotted off while Ducky rested her head on his shoulder. "You just rest for a bit. We'll have plenty of work for you when the time comes."

"Am I home, Ducky?"

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You certainly are, my dear Abigail."

….

"Get off me, Tony!" Gibbs wrestled with him.

Tony disengaged from hugging a reluctant Gibbs, but his smile was wide. "First, Abby climbs out of a jeep, and then we find you alive. This is shaping up to be the right kind of day."

"This is going to be a very hard day with what's coming."

"I think this is good luck, Boss. I really think it is."

"I'm not your damn boss anymore, DiNozzo!"

Tony shook his head at Ziva, grinning. "Well, that shoots the imposter theory. It's Gibbs, all right."

She took Gibbs' hand. "Abby said that Tim was alive when you last saw him."

He shook his head. "Don't."

"We can hope," she insisted.

"You didn't see him. Don't do that to yourself."

"Tell me."

He shook his head. "No. Here comes Vicks and Fornell. We're planning strategy now. That's all."

The deep sadness in his eyes sobered Tony. "Okay, we're ready."

Gibbs leaned over a map. "We're set up in three checkpoints, each a half mile apart. Vicks, you and DiNozzo, will be in that first wave. Don't engage heavily. We want troops to get past you. We want them to think that we don't have much to throw at them. Ziva and I will be here at the second checkpoint with the most armor. We'll hit them hard, and then when they retreat, DiNozzo and Vicks will destroy them. Tobias, you are our last defense. If they somehow get past us, you're the only barrier keeping them out of Esperanza."

Fornell studied the map. "I'd like to be closer to the action."

Gibbs shook his head. "If any those trucks get past us, I need to trust that someone will take them out. That person is you. Our job is to destroy Jarvis' people. Your job is to protect Esperanza."

"Got it."

Gibbs looked at everyone in the group. "We'll only be able to communicate by runners, and that's not going to be enough. We're going to have to anticipate each other's actions. If Jarvis' people get past me, it will be over my dead body. They can not have my town."

Everyone nodded silently as words seemed inadequate.

….

Vance crouched behind trees with some of his people. Jarvis' people were on the move earlier than expected, probably in response to Admiral McGee's defection. Vance's approach to the trucks that rolled by was similar to what lions did on the Serengeti. They culled the weakest from the herd, surrounded them, and ran them into the ground. Vance waited for the last vehicle in each wave, and then his people shot out the tires. Vehicles careened off the road and into the ditches. Then his people pounced on the occupants. So far, they'd liberated a supply truck and a munitions vehicle. The trucks were cleaned out and supplies hidden, and only the burning hull of a truck was left in its wake. The day was shaping up quite nicely. Vance planned to scavenge stray vehicles until this was over. He hoped his actions would ease the pressure for Gibbs' troops ahead.

…..

Admiral McGee raised his head from the bed where it was resting against Tim's hip, blinking as he cleared the sleep from his eyes. The heat and humidity of a D.C. summer evening was upon him, and his face was wet and sticky. His eyes immediately went to his son's face, but he could tell nothing. Tim was pale and quiet. He leaned his cheek against his son's mouth, and relief flooded through him as he felt a gentle intake of breath. He looked up and saw that the IV and plasma needed to be changed. The bags that were left were unrefrigerated, but he had to take a risk with it. With skills he hadn't used since his days in Vietnam, he deftly changed the bags, checking to make sure that Tim's line flowed cleanly.

He got up and his stiff muscles screamed. The front of his dress shirt was wet with sweat, but he had nothing else to wear. It had never occurred to me that he would still be alive. He thought that Tim would've been gone by now, and he would've headed back to the Emerald City for a final showdown with Jarvis. The most satisfying end would be a bullet between Jarvis' eyes before he himself was killed. He doubted he would get that far, but there was nowhere else left for him to go. He had no desire for survival after the death of his son.

It was amazing, really. They'd spent so many years fighting and he'd put so much energy into the idea that his son was a disappointment that he truly hadn't understood how much he still cared for Timothy until he saw him beaten in the floor of his cell. All of those years of anger had dissolved in a single moment. It was the sight of his son near death, and it was the idea that saving him would be the redemption he'd so desperately sought through his relationship with Sister Michael.

The admiral moved into the kitchen and checked the cupboards. He'd ordered his people to take all of the food and water. He hadn't imagined he'd need any. The cupboards were as bare as he'd expected. Then he opened the unplugged refrigerator and smiled when he found a half empty bottle of water. He pulled it out and downed the warm liquid. In the back of the dark refrigerator there were two granola bars. He suspected they were quite old, but in this moment, food was food. He peeled open one of them, and chewed it despite the tough, musty flavor. He put the other one in his pocket for later.

He went back into his son's room, but Tim was still unconscious. It occurred to him that there was no one around to notice how he looked so he pulled the dress shirt out of his pants, and unbuttoned the top buttons. It was freeing. He rarely allowed himself to be less than an admiral even in his off moments, though he wasn't sure he'd had any of those since the pandemic.

He remembered there was still a pail of water in the bathroom and he found a washcloth. He wet it thoroughly and went back into Tim's room. Gently, he mopped Tim's forehead and face. Then, much as he had done when Tim was a toddler, he washed his neck, chest, and arms. Tim had such smooth skin that he was easily reminded of those early days with his son when there were no regrets, only a deep, easy love. He smiled a little as his tortured mind allowed him the memories of the sweet boy with the green eyes and the deep willingness to please him.

…..

Tony was literally twitching as the first trucks rolled by. Captain Vicks only allowed a few guns to fire. Tony understood the strategy, but he wanted nothing more than to destroy any entity that threatened his home. Not attacking with all they had was difficult. One of Vicks' men gave him an impromptu lesson on how to use a hand grenade, and as the trucks rolled by, he waited for the last of them, a neat pile of grenades at his side.

The grenades should've been resting with someone else. Tony was a commander not a soldier, but he felt incapable of sitting back. A shout echoed down the line and he tensed, grabbing one of the grenades in his hand. The last wave of trucks was moving by, and Vicks gave the word. Tony and several others leapt out of ditches and lobbed the grenades onto the trucks. Explosions erupted everywhere. He barely made it back to the high grass as car parts flew through the air. Tony crawled back to his spot, and grabbed another grenade. He waited a moment for the dust to settle and looked up. Five trucks were stopped in the road. Machine gun fire sounded from inside vehicles as well from Vicks' troops in the forest.

Tony watched Jarvis' soldiers succumb to the attack, but then his eye caught a soldier in the back of one of the vehicles pull out something that looked like a rocket launcher. Without hesitating, he ran forward again with another grenade. It wasn't going to be an easy throw as he had a bad angle on the truck. He moved sideways as he closed in, steadying his arm as gunfire erupted around him. Then he lobbed it carefully. He turned and headed for the ditch again, but his foot got caught in a mangled wheel well and he fell. He barely hit the ground when he felt himself lifted into the air by the deafening explosion.

…..

Gibbs' and Ziva's groups fought through the night with the bulk of Jarvis' forces. Gibbs himself led two skirmishes into the heart of the embattled troops. He showed little caution, but returned from both fights unscathed. It was as if he was living a charmed existence. His soldiers remarked on his good luck, and he was tempted to tell them that it was wasted on him. The minute he'd left Tim in that D.C. apartment with his father was the minute he'd stopped imagining any kind of a future.

Several times that night, he saw the beautiful, petite Ziva in perilous situations and it took everything in him not to order her back. She was a brave and effective fighter, and she inspired her group to fight hard, but it scared him to think Esperanza could lose someone with her spirit.

Twice during the night, a truck got past them, and Gibbs was only comforted when he saw and heard the explosions from Fornell's group holding the road into Esperanza. He'd been right to leave Fornell with that responsibility. No one was a smarter or more ruthless strategist than the grizzled FBI agent.

Gibbs tried to be everywhere that night. He directed the battle, he led teams into the fight, and he supervised getting the wounded onto trucks heading back to Esperanza. They used old supply trucks as makeshift ambulances, and were able to transport up to ten people at a time. He was surprised when Jackie showed as one of the ambulance drivers, and a surge of anger rose in him. She was essential to the future of Esperanza. She was a natural leader and politician. He'd hoped to keep her safe, but when he caught her eye, she gave him a look of pure defiance, and he knew an argument would be wasted on her.

Exhaustion was something his body wouldn't recognize, and he didn't slow for a single moment as he moved from one responsibility to the next. There was no fear or anxiety that victory would be denied them. He was unwilling to entertain the possibility. If it meant they fought to the last man, it was worth doing in order to protect a way of life that still honored humanity.

…

Tony woke to a strange buzzing sound. He felt weightless as if he was floating underwater. His vision was blurry, and he shook his head to clear it and was hit by a wave of tremendous pain. He howled and struggled to sit up. Hands were on his shoulders pulling him back down, but he was stronger and he pushed them away. He staggered to his feet and tried to orient himself, but there was clearly something very wrong with his vision. Then a familiar voice sounded in his ear. "Tony, sit down please. You're badly hurt."

"Cassie?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Let me help you sit."

"What's going on? Where's the fight?"

"It's north of us with Gibbs' group right now. Vicks and his people have built a barricade with the destroyed vehicles. When they retreat, we'll engage them again here."

"They haven't pushed past Gibbs?" Tony said as he looked around the wooded area. Only a full moon gave the forest any definition at this time of night.

"Honestly, I don't know what's happening. We can hear the fighting, and Vicks sent a runner an hour ago, but we haven't heard anything. From the proximity of the sounds, I would say that the fight is still with Gibbs."

He swayed slightly as he continued to struggle with his peripheral vision. "Do we still have grenades? I need to get back in that ditch and get ready for those bastards."

Cassie leaned over and took his hand. "Tony, touch your face."

He looked at her oddly for a moment and then felt touched his face gingerly. He discovered bandages wrapped tightly around much of his face. "This is why it's hard to see. You've bandaged over one eye."

She turned his face toward hers. "Tony, your right eye is gone. Your bandages are soaked in blood from cuts on the right side of your face."

He frowned and touched the bandages again. There was a strange depression in his right eye socket, and panic flooded his gut.

"The ambulances can't reach us until this is over. You need to lie down so you don't lose any more blood."

He stared at her for a moment as he took it all in. Then he leaned on her as he pulled himself to his feet again. "I don't need two eyes to see, and clearly my legs work so you and I need to get back to work."

"Tony!"

"If we don't stop them, Cassie, it won't matter how many eyes I have. Let's find some grenades and a few rifles and we'll dig in somewhere."

She searched his face for a moment and nodded slowly. "I'll do whatever you want, Tony."

…..

The sun had risen at least an hour when Jarvis' troops beat a retreat. Gibbs sagged against a jeep when the gunfire finally stopped. With the sun came evidence of the devastation. There were bodies of Esperanzans and soldiers he'd known for only hours littering the ground around the bodies of Jarvis' people. The moans of wounded sounded all around him. Their resources were limited. The ambulances would take his people first. Jarvis' people wouldn't be treated until every single one of his was out of harm's way. It was ruthless, but there was little room in his heart for compassion for his enemies just now.

He knew that the retreating troops would be hitting Vicks' and Tony's groups in a few moments, and he hoped that they were still holding strong. He had anticipated the retreat, and had asked Fornell to send one of his groups forward help push them into the trap Vicks and Tony had waiting for them. His own people were zombies after a night of fighting.

Tobias waved at him as his jeep passed him. Gibbs could barely raise his arm in a return greeting. He knew Fornell's people would push them hard, and destroy whatever was left of Jarvis' invasion and he felt nothing but satisfaction at the thought of it.

He desperately wanted to sit down somewhere and lean his head against a tree. He didn't need food or water. He just needed to close his eyes for a few moments, but the groans of his injured people reminded him of the work still to be done. He limped toward a woman named Ramona with a hole in her gut and knelt down. "Hey, it's okay. Help is coming. Just hold my hand, Ramona."

Her eyes were filled with fear, and she gripped his hand tightly as he raised his head and yelled, "Medic!"

…..

What was left of Jarvis' troops saw the barricade and hit it hard with everything they had left. Tony had no strength left to attack with grenades so he stayed in the ditch and hit them with rifle fire. The first trucks moved the barricade enough for two trucks to get through, but that was it. Vicks' troops descended on the rest like vultures as they threw everything they had. The three trucks tried to retreat to Gibbs' position, but Fornell was there. Tony watched dispassionately as Jarvis' people were cut down without mercy when they tried to flee their burning vehicles. He kept up his gunfire until nothing in the road was left moving.

He pulled himself to his feet, feeling lightheaded. The pounding in his head had become profound. He looked around for Cassie, but she'd disappeared. Slowly, he climbed onto the road. Trucks were still burning and bodies lay everywhere. He stepped carefully as he struggled to compensate without the use of one eye. A man rose up in a jeep in front of him and aimed, but Tony couldn't muster up a reaction. Then a shot rang out and the man fell forward.

Fornell came trotting up to him. "Tony! What the hell are you doing!?"

He turned his head awkwardly to him. "Is it over yet?"

He nodded wearily. "Yeah. We won. Looks like you took some serious shrapnel."

Tony nodded but said nothing. The details of it didn't seem worth noting.

"Those bandages are soaked through and you look like you're ready to drop. Let me get you into the jeep."

Tony resisted. "Lots of people are hurt worse than I am."

"We got ambulances coming for all that. Esperanza's sheriff is going to ride back to town in style."

Tony shook his head and moaned at the sharp pain that erupted. "I should stay and help."

"Get in the jeep, Tony. I'm going to take you home."

That inspired a crooked smile. "Our kids can come home now."

"Yeah," Fornell said as he pushed Tony into the jeep. "Let's go home and see our kids."

…..

The admiral checked his pulse again. It was beating steadily. Excitement surged through him. The longer he stayed alive, the more likely it was that he was going to recover. The old man even allowed himself a moment to imagine going to Esperanza with Timothy. He'd do hard labor, anything they asked, as long as he was given a chance to see his son's creation.

He'd finished the last granola bar, and it was time to think about how to scrounge up more food. He'd venture out, trade his gun for food, and then the two of them would wait for Gibbs together.

"Dad?"

The admiral smiled. "You made it another 24 hours. I don't think anything is going to stop you now."

Tim looked at him sleepily. "Do you know anything about Esperanza?"

"No, but I think your man, Gibbs, is going to come out on top."

He smiled. "You're starting to get comfortable with his name."

"I'm just comfortable with you again, like when you were a boy. As far as I'm concerned, you can love whomever you want. I feel happy for the first time in a really long time."

"You'll come home with me."

Admiral McGee took his hand. "If you'll take me."

"Jethro will make you work for it, but it will be worth it."

The admiral nodded. "I should go out and find some food for both of us-"

The sound of screeching tires rose up to their open window. The admiral hurried over and looked out. His stomach dropped as he recognized the men getting out of the truck. He turned and looked around the room.

"What's going on, Dad?"

Too many of his people knew about this apartment. He should've been surprised they lasted this long without discovery. He pulled the IV's off their stands and tucked them in next to Tim. Then he looked down at his son. "We have only a minute or two. They're coming to get me."

"No." Tim shook his head.

"Shhh! Listen, you are the future. I am the past. This is the way it was always meant to happen. I'm okay with it. I'm going to pull the sheet over your head, and you're going to stop moving."

"No."

"Don't fight with me, Tim!" His heart raced as he heard boots on the stairs. "You live! Please! Do that for me!"

Tim got teary.

"Close your eyes. Breathe as lightly as possible."

"Dad."

There was pounding on the door. McGee hurried into the bathroom and pulled the pail he used for urine into the room. He spilled some of it under the bed. "It has to smell like death in here."

"We'll fight," Tim murmured.

McGee slid the pail under the bed and stood up, leaning over his son. He kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Please live, my beautiful boy. Please do that for me."

Then he pulled the sheet over Tim's face. At the same moment, the door crashed in, and footsteps exploded all over the living room. The emotion in him was real, and he let tears fall as he leaned over his son's body. The door to the room burst open, and he looked up, eyes red and shiny.

"We found him, President Jarvis!"

McGee stood slowly and faced the armed men. It was useless to say anything. Steps sounded and then Jarvis appeared in the doorway. He looked at Admiral McGee, shaking his head. "Hiding like a coward. I thought better of you."

"How did your invasion go?"

Jarvis chortled. "Sabotaged from the first moment to the last. You oversaw the deaths of almost 400 of my troops."

"You didn't deserve Esperanza."

Jarvis looked at the covered body. "Stinks in here. How long did he last?"

Admiral McGee closed his eyes. "He died a few hours ago."

"He was a weak man."

"He was your superior in every way, Jarvis."

"If I had the time I needed, I would make you scream for days. You deserve that, but I know Gibbs. He's going to come for me so I need to be on my way."

"I'm fighting you, Jarvis, but let's take this downstairs."

"No." Jarvis turned to the men flanking him. "Kill him."

The admiral knew that it was the end of the road, and his last movements focused on being as far away from his son as possible when the gunfire began. He was halfway across the room when a stream of bullets ripped across his chest.

….

One more chapter….


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This crazy, long AU story finishes at 205 pages. I seriously upset the balance of NCIS canon, but I am truly grateful to those of you brave enough to follow. It should be a piece before I put out a story again. Thank you so much for reading this story. Sheila

Esperanza

Chapter 11

Gibbs leaned over Tony stroking the undamaged part of his face. Fornell came running up. "It'll be ten minutes before another ambulance. How's he doing?"

He sighed. "He's unconscious now. The blood loss is catching up with him, but I know DiNozzo as well as I ever knew my own child. He'll hang in there. Nobody can fight like he can."

"Vicks said he fought like a lion. There was no one better."

Gibbs smiled softly. "There never has been."

He heard a cry and turned to find Ziva running toward them at top speed. Gibbs stood between her and Tony and caught her by the waist. She struggled against him. "It's okay, Ziva. He's going to be okay."

She tried to reach for him, but Gibbs held her back. "He's unconscious, but he's going to make it."

She relaxed in his grip, breathing fast and shallow. "He's going to be okay?"

"He lost an eye and he has some cuts, but that's all."

"We need to get him to Ducky."

"Yup. Gotta' an ambulance coming. Be gentle with him, Ziva."

He let go of her, and she climbed into the jeep seat and leaned over him. At first, she didn't know where to touch and then she found places on his body that looked strongly and she held him gently, her chin trembling. "It's okay, Tony. You're going be just fine. I need you to get better because we're a family with a baby and responsibilities. Can't survive losing you twice. You should know that."

She looked at his face but got no response. "Tony? Wake up, Baby."

Fornell turned his head. "Ambulance is coming."

Gibbs leaned over and pulled her back gently. "Let them get at him. They need to get him in the truck."

She climbed off him, and didn't protest while Gibbs wrapped his arms around her securely. Two people with a stretcher came running from the truck they were using for an ambulance. They carefully pulled Tony onto it, and started off without a word, exhaustion etched deeply in their faces. It reminded Gibbs that they all were working on little or no sleep. He let go of her. "Get in there with him."

She looked at him with wet, brown eyes. "You need me here."

He shook his head. "We're just cleaning up here."

Fornell nodded. "Nobody's coming for us just now. I got a group who never made it into the fight. They're going to patrol for the next day or two. I'll watch 'em."

Gibbs pushed her. "Go! Be with your family."

Ziva ran for the ambulance. Fornell looked at Gibbs long and hard. "What are you doing to do?"

Gibbs looked down. "We've gotten almost everyone off to the hospital. The next task is to remove bodies and set up a patrol."

"I can do that with my eyes closed."

Gibbs looked at the sun moving toward dusk. "We need to feed our new residents well. They deserve it after how they fought for us."

"I'll talk to Jackie."

"I'm…going to take a jeep."

Fornell shook his head. "Go to Esperanza. Get a good night's sleep. We assemble a team in the morning."

"I'm going now."

"Not alone."

Gibbs looked at his old friend. "It's almost impossible for me to adequately explain to you what he meant to me. I never thought I would ever feeling something like this for a man. He just became so precious to me that it was a natural progression of our love. He completed me, Tobias."

Fornell smirked. "You're not the only man in love. I have some idea the pull you're feeling, but you're not going alone."

"I don't need an audience for this. I'm just going in, picking him up, and bringing him home. He should be buried in Esperanza."

"No revenge?"

He shook his head. "I just want to bring him home right now. There's time enough for Jarvis later. I want to plan that one."

"We need you, Jethro."

"The only thing I want right now is to bury him in the place he created. After that, I'm taking it one day at a time."

Fornell nodded. "Let me get you a jeep with fuel and supplies." He trotted off.

Gibbs turned back to the sun. The shell he'd covered himself in for the last two days was starting to crumble. He rubbed the bridge of his nose angrily and headed off to collect some weapons.

….

Abby had moved without rest for 24 hours. Ducky urged her to sit, but purpose had entered her life again, and this was the safest she'd felt in days. She needed to focus on the needs of others in order to stay distracted from the horror of what happened in her own life.

Tony was one of the last they brought in. Abby got a lump in her throat when she saw the distress in Ziva's eyes as she hung onto his stretcher. Abby pretended that she was too busy to go over and comfort her. Ziva would expect her to be Abby, and she wasn't sure how to be that person anymore.

They pulled Tony behind the curtain that they were using for surgeries and both Jimmy and Ducky followed him in. Abby kept a frantic pace for the next couple of hours. In the last two years, she learned plenty of nursing, and she was quite proficient with inserting IVs and other skills.

Her eyes kept track of that curtain though, and she froze when she saw Ducky pull it back and walk out. There was something about Ducky and his immense understanding of human nature that left her feeling safe, and she ran up to him without hesitation. "Is he okay?"

He reached up and patted her face. "He lost an eye, but other than that, he'll be just fine. Why don't you go back and see him?"

She looked distressed.

"Abigail, we've all changed so very much, but our affection for one another remains. He'll be happy to see you and he'll have no expectations of you."

She bit her lip and her eyes watered.

"He needs you."

"Okay."

He grabbed her arm. "Your life will have to be more than just service to others. We all need balance."

"He needs me?"

Ducky sighed and let go. "Yes, go see him."

He watched her head off, and he knew that it would take a long time before Abby's psyche was on solid ground again.

Abby approached him slowly. Tony was awake now, attached to IVs, and gingerly touching his face. Ziva was gone.

He heard her approach and turned his head. "Abby, come here."

She felt panic in her gut, but she moved forward nonetheless. She took his offered hand. "I'm sorry, Tony."

"About what?"

"Your eye."

He gave her a jaunty DiNozzo grin. "I have a spare."

"Does it hurt much?"

"I have a helluva' headache."

"Where's Ziva?"

His smile broadened. "She went to get a special gift for me."

Abby's eyebrows rose but she said nothing.

"I'm glad you're home, Abs."

She looked down. "I don't know this place."

"It's where your family is."

"I don't feel as strong as I did before. I had to let go of Abby to get strong."

He frowned. "I don't know what that means, but you're a very strong woman. Always have been."

"There were some bad men…and they stole it-"

"Shhhh! I want to hear that story, Abs, but this is a time of celebration. We beat Jarvis. The story you have to tell needs to happen in a very safe place. When I'm up again, I'm going to take the time to listen to everything you want to tell me. Okay?"

She nodded. "Can I make an eye patch for you like a pirate?"

"Yeah, I would like that very much." Then he noticed something behind her. "Abby, I want to introduce you to some very special people."

Abby turned and saw Ziva standing there with a beautiful dark haired baby and a little girl with brown hair.

Ziva came up and handed Amala over to Abby without a single word. "This is our baby, Amala. I've told her stories about her auntie Abby."

Abby studied the baby's face with the mischievous green eyes. "Those are Tony's eyes."

"Yeah. She's got his propensity for trouble too."

Amala took that moment to tug sharply on Abby's ear causing Abby to give a quick yelp. Ziva picked up the little girl. "This is Nadine. Tim adopted her after we thought Jethro was killed."

The little girl clung to Ziva's neck tightly when Abby reached over to stroke her hair. Ziva smiled. "Nadine is a little particular about friends just now. She's had a hard year."

"I know what that's like," Abby said softly.

"I want to see my little girl," Tony said. "Both of them."

Ziva helped Nadine crawl up next to Tony, but she had to hold onto Amala who seemed intent on ripping off her father's bandages. Abby watched all of this with a sense of awe. She hadn't experienced sweetness in a very long time.

…

Vance was surprised when they heard another jeep on the road. What little remained of Jarvis' force had sped by hours ago. They'd pulled down a couple of vehicles, and Vance estimated that fewer than 50 troops made it back to the Emerald City. They were just packing it for the night when they heard the final jeep.

Vance signaled for his people to ready fire, and when the jeep came into view, gunfire erupted on the tires. The jeep veered sharply and landed in the ditch. Armed, Vance trotted over, but put up a hand sharply when he saw the silver hair peeking up from the front seat. "Stand down!"

He scrambled into the ditch. "Gibbs, is that you?"

"Leon, you idiot! You destroyed my ride." Gibbs climbed out of the cab slowly.

"Where the hell are you going?! You're not taking on Jarvis alone!"

Gibbs limped up out of the ditch. "I'm not going after Jarvis."

Realization washed over Vance and he groaned. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"I need a vehicle, Leon."

"No, you need an escort. It's too dangerous to go alone."

"I don't want an audience."

Vance ignored him and turned to one of his people. "Load up the truck. We're making a run into D.C."

….

It was almost midnight when they pulled up in front of the apartment complex where the admiral was hiding Tim. Gibbs' efforts to go in alone were ignored, and Vance plus a complement of four followed him in. Without electricity, the stairs and hallways were pitch black. Vance's people shined flashlights as they climbed three flights of steps, and then followed Gibbs down a hallway. He hesitated when he saw that the door to the apartment was wide open, and the stench that emanated from within was sickening and all too familiar. Gibbs' breath caught and he stopped. He turned to Vance. "I gotta' do this alone."

Vance nodded and signaled his people to wait. Gibbs grabbed a flashlight and trained it on the open doorway. He walked through slowly, taking time to shine it everywhere. There was nothing but a deafening silence and an overwhelming stench. He walked down the hall and took a breath before the door. Then he pushed through and shined his light on the devastation. It was worse than he'd expected. Blood pooled everywhere, and flies buzzed over bodies.

The admiral lay on his back, dark splotches rohrschached across his chest. This was clearly an execution. Tim lay on his stomach in the blood, one arm dragging a fallen IV and the other lying across his father's torso. Gibbs sucked in air and let out a whimper. Jarvis had been here, and he'd exacted revenge on the McGees.

"I'm so sorry, Tim. I should've taken you that day. I should've risked it. It's my fault for not keeping you with me…"

Emotion swelled in his throat and he choked. He felt as if he was in a trance, much like it was the day his CO told him that Kelly and Shannon were dead. He noticed a second flashlight, but didn't acknowledge Vance as he came up next to him.

"I'm so sorry, Jethro."

"My fault," he mumbled.

Vance stopped his light on Tim's arm for a long moment. "Jethro, Tim's color is different than his father's. Look."

"What!?"

Vance knelt down next to Tim. "He's warm."

Gibbs dropped down beside him. "Could be the heat, Leon."

Vance had his finger on Tim's carotid. "He's breathing. I don't think he took a bullet."

Gibbs pushed him away. "Tim! Tim!"

Vance was on his feet. "I need a backboard in here! Stat!"

…

"Hey!"

Fornell looked up and saw Jackie approaching. She enveloped him in a hug. He smiled in spite of his exhaustion. "Hey you!"

"You worked all night, Tobias. Time to rest."

"Gotta' watch the road. Don't think we're going to get an attack, but we have to stay vigilant. Gibbs is gone and Tony is in the hospital."

"Captain Vicks had 7 hours of sleep. Let him take over."

He let her lead him home. "How's Em?"

Jackie smiled. "She spent almost 36 hours with a cabin full of fussy children. She was terrific, and now she's sleeping like a rock."

He slid an arm around her waist. "I'll sleep if you do."

She leaned into him. "I spent all night feeding hungry soldiers. We butchered a steer. Everyone had a steak. One of them told me it was the best meal he'd had since the pandemic."

"Wait 'til they find out our everyday menu. They might be less impressed."

"They're tired, Tobias. I think they want peace as much as we do." She led him into the bedroom shutting the door. She turned and started unbuttoning his shirt. Then she pulled it out of his pants. She pushed him gently on the bed. "Let me take care of you."

He pulled her shirt over her head and put his arms around her. "Come here, baby."

She climbed on the bed beside him. "You must be exhausted."

He shook his head as he lay next to her, stroking her face. "I have the energy of ten men right now, and I've been waiting for this moment since you brought me into this house."

"You are full of surprises, Tobias Fornell," she said as she leaned in and captured his mouth.

…

Tim opened his eyes to the sun coming in from an open window. The IV bag was back on the stand. He blinked into the sun for a moment. This wasn't what he last remembered. There was a sheet over his head, and then his father yelled and there was gunfire. He'd waited minutes until there was silence, and then he pulled the sheet off his face and saw his father dead on the floor. He dragged himself off the bed, passing out from the pain of falling to the floor. When he woke, he inched his way to the admiral. The last thing he remembered was resting his hand on his father's stomach.

"You awake, Tim?"

McGee looked away from the sun and saw Leon Vance looking down at him. "Director?"

"It's been a long time since anyone called me that."

"What…I was in D.C…my dad…where am I?"

Then a loud snort interrupted both of them, and McGee twisted his head. Next to him on the bed was a gently snoring Jethro Gibbs.

"He's been watching over you."

McGee's face softened. "He's exhausted."

"He probably hadn't slept for three days when we found you."

Gibbs flopped an arm around McGee's waist and he winced. Leon smiled. "We can move the octopus to another bed if you like."

Tim smiled. "Not on your life."

A doctor has been in to see you yesterday. She opened you up enough to repair two ribs, but it was cursory. We don't have the facilities to do any real surgery. You're going to be okay, but she says you're going to have bone spurs and pain on your right side after any exertion. Your days of heavy lifting are over, Tim."

"The bleeding?"

"Your body took care of that. The doctor was pretty amazed. Your blood pressure has been improving and you haven't needed a transfusion at all today. You're going to be on your feet again in a few days."

McGee frowned. "What about my dad? Did you leave him there?"

"No, we brought him back. We're building a coffin for him in the backyard. He wasn't a friend for very long, but he saved your Esperanza. Jarvis sent over 500 troops. I don't think your people could've stopped them without your father's help."

"Thank you for bringing him somewhere peaceful. He deserved that, Sir."

"I'm Leon to you now. We're equals, Tim."

"Might take a little getting used to…Leon."

Gibbs groaned and lifted his head. "What time is it?"

Vance smiled. "You've been sleeping for maybe 12 hours. You clearly needed it."

Gibbs looked down at Tim with blurry eyes. "You okay?"

Tim smiled up at him. "I'm perfect."

"I'll give the two of you some time." Vance left the room smiling.

Jethro turned on his side and looked Tim over, gently touching the spot where the doctor bandaged his torso. "You're going to be okay, Tim."

He nodded. "I can't wait to go home."

"Mmm. Me too. You told me earlier that we have a daughter."

"Do you remember saving her?"

"I remember a little. She was small, maybe four years old."

"She's five. A very solemn little girl. Doesn't remember life before the pandemic. Lost her whole family to cholera. She was only with me a couple of weeks. It took awhile to get her to talk. Stubborn. Smart. Scared. She clung to me constantly. I wasn't with her long, but I know that she's already had too many losses."

"Okay. Then we better get back there and give her some stability."

Tim stroked his arm. "You're ready for this, aren't you?"

"Yesterday, Tim. I was ready yesterday. I want to go back and retire. I don't want a gun anymore. I want to farm or build or do repairs. I want to go home to you every night. I want to watch our daughter grow up."

"You're ready to give up power?"

"Just need to get Jarvis out of the way and I'm ready for a simple life."

"I worry that Jarvis isn't going to be an easy fix."

"It has to be done, but first we get you home so I can meet this little girl of ours."

He searched Jethro's face. "You really think people are ready to see you as a farmer?"

"Tony has done a helluva' job being sheriff. You should've seen him fight. It's his turn now. And we have new settlers. There's a man called Vicks who is excellent. There are people who take over. We can rest. We deserve that."

"We can't lose the heart of Esperanza."

"We won't. Too many good people believe in what we built."

Tim relaxed into his pillow. "I want that, Jethro. I want just what you described."

…

Tony stared at his face in the mirror. Abby had made him a black leather eye patch, and as much as he thought it would be hard to look at his face, he found the addition to be jaunty, even roguish. It made him smile. Scars still peaked out from under the patch and the headaches still plagued him, but he saw his face as a testament to survival in a post-pandemic world. Ziva came up behind him and put her arms around him. "I think you've always wanted to be a pirate."

"It's not bad actually."

"Nadine wants one now, you know."

Tony turned and hugged her. "I was getting used to the idea of being her dad. I'm going to miss that. They should be here any time. Is she ready to see Tim?"

"She doesn't really believe he's coming. Too many disappointments in her life. I put her in her favorite red dress. She, Amala, and Emily are sitting on the steps waiting."

There was a shout from the street and Tony smiled. "That must be them."

The two of them came out just as the jeep drove up. Tony swung Nadine up into his arms and Ziva grabbed Amala. Everyone had been told to keep it low key, but people couldn't help shouting greetings as Jethro helped Tim out of the jeep. Tony pointed at him. "Look Nadine. There's dad."

The little girl whimpered and buried her head in his shirt. The trauma of so many losses was overwhelming. Tim kissed Ziva and Amala. Then he headed for Tony. He looked at his face for a moment. "I have to say that it suits you."

"I was just thinking the same thing."

"She scared?"

"Oh yeah."

Tim peeled the little girl off Tony and held her tightly. "I'm back, Nadine. I'm here to stay."

She moaned sobs into his neck. Jethro was there, patting her back. "She'll be fine."

He looked at Tony. "Thanks for watching the store."

Tony nodded. "Ready to get the keys back?"

"Nope. It's all yours, DiNozzo. You've more than proved yourself."

"You sure?"

"I'm retired. Got a family to raise now."

Tony gestured to the jeep. "Looks like a coffin on the back."

"That is Admiral McGee. Tim wants him buried here. And I think we owe him after the help he gave us, don't you?"

Tony nodded. "I knew the old man couldn't be all bad. I mean he raised McGee, didn't he."

Nadine's sobs had turned to hiccups, and Tim was wiping tears from her face with his thumb. "Listen sweetie, I want you to meet Jethro. He's part of our family."

She studied Gibbs with her serious brown eyes. Then a memory took hold and she reached out with a small hand and touched his face. "You told me to run when the guns came."

Gibbs felt something in his gut he hadn't felt for twenty years. His eyes watered. "That's right, pretty girl. I told you to run."

…

Her chubby legs moved fast as she stumbled the distance between Ziva and Abby. Abby reached out and Amala squealed as she picked her up. Ziva clapped. "She runs everywhere. I have to watch her every second now."

Abby looked into the little girl's sweet, smiling face. "She's always so happy. I didn't know that could exist anymore."

"I'll do whatever I can to keep her that way. I wake up after the nightmares and I go sit with her, and there is nothing but peace on her face. She has no idea that evil exists. It's such a miracle."

Abby nodded. "And then there is sweet Nadine. She asked me if I could be her mom yesterday."

"Really?"

"She said you were her Ema."

Ziva nodded. "Which is Hebrew for mother."

"She informed me that most kids with Emas also have a mom. She was very serious about this. She's such a little storyteller."

Ziva sighed. "She's collecting family members. I think she's worried she's going to run out again."

"It's sad to see a little girl so scared of the world."

"She reminds me of you, Abby."

Abby flinched and hugged Amala to her more tightly. The spirited baby responded by twisting out of her arms and running over to investigate a puddle on the street.

"Ducky says you would work 18 hours a day if he and Jimmy weren't watching you."

Abby hugged her knees into her. "I need to help. I feel safest when I help."

Ziva sat next to her and pushed the curly strands of her growing black hair behind her ear. "It gives you less time for memories."

"And it pleases God to have me serve."

"God is pleased with you because of your goodness. God doesn't need you to work yourself to death. You deserve to have time for yourself."

"I take walks with Jimmy sometimes. He understands me best of all."

"I miss your positive energy just as I miss Jimmy's."

She leaned over. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Ziva smiled. "I miss our girl secrets."

"I told Jimmy that I want to bring some of the orphaned children home. He says there isn't room in our little house with Ducky, but he says that if we find a bigger house, he'll move in and help me. Gibbs is going to help me look."

"Is something happening between you and Jimmy?"

Abby stiffened slightly. "We're just friends."

"That's okay, my sister. Just don't be afraid to let something grow if it's there. You deserve to be treasured more than anyone I know."

Amala squealed as she plucked a little toad out of the water and held it up high. Abby laughed. Ziva put an arm around her and squeezed. "You are going to be the most wonderful mom."

…

Gibbs sat with Tobias and Tony at a picnic table near the creek. Fall colors were everywhere, and the dirt beneath Jethro's fingernails told of hours digging up potatoes. Tony shook his head. "It's been three months. We've sent three teams into what's left of the Emerald City. There's no sign of Jarvis."

Tobias nodded. "I talked to Vance myself last week. The last he heard was that Jarvis took what remained of his supporters and left town. Vance is a new dad by the way. A little boy. Named him Asher."

Jethro nodded. "Good for him. He deserves a new start."

Tony shifted. "I'm not comfortable with leaving this Jarvis chapter undone."

"Me neither."

Tobias sighed. "He probably went south looking for more communities to terrorize. I'm only comforted by the fact that he has almost no resources left."

Tony shook his head as he stood. "I'm going to send another team down this week. I just want to make sure."

Tony went off to speak with a group of his security people. Tobias nudged Jethro and pointed at Jackie helping a group of women separate rotten potatoes from the bushel baskets. "She's put on a few pounds, hasn't she?"

Jethro's eyes widened. "I have not noticed nor would I comment on it if I did."

Tobias leaned closer. "She's definitely a little rounder. I can see it from here."

"Are you going to talk to her about it because you are a complete idiot?"

"You're the moron, Jethro. That's baby weight," he said, smiling broadly.

"What?!"

He pointed at himself proudly. "I knocked her up."

"Seriously? Isn't she a little old?"

"Now that's a conversation I wouldn't recommend having with her. Ducky has looked her over. He's feeling very good about this. Fresh air, good exercise, and healthy food: it's good for a pregnancy."

Gibbs slapped him on the back. "You old dog!"

"I know. I'm amazing."

"Right," Gibbs said as he rolled his eyes. "You did everything, didn't you?"

…

"Okay," Tim said as he closed the book. "Time for bed."

Nadine frowned as she looked at him. "No, daddy. Other girls get maybe ten stories at bedtime. Three stories aren't hardly nothing. 'Mala can have stories all night long if she wants. That's what Ema told me."

He brushed her hair back. "Ema didn't say anything of the kind. And I don't know any little girl who gets ten stories."

"I bet Abby mom would read ten stories to me."

Jethro walked into the bedroom. "It's time you get to bed, little princess."

She looked up, eyes pleading. "Jethro daddy, you'll read more stories, won't you? Daddy here won't read stories to his little girl."

Jethro swung her up into his arms. "I have never met such a little drama queen in my entire life."

"I feel sick, Daddies," she said as she pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. "I think I might have a fever. It's probably best if I sleep with here with both of you."

Jethro laughed as he shook his head. "You're a big girl and you're not sick. You sleep alone like a big girl, and we'll go cricket hunting tomorrow."

She hugged him tightly around the neck. "Can we?! No 'Mala or Emily. Just Jethro daddy and Nadine."

"It's a date, princess."

He came back in a few minutes later, and Tim looked up. "She went down quietly."

"She was more tired than she knew."

Tim pulled the sheets back and Jethro smiled. "Someone stole your clothes."

"You've been treating me like delicate china long enough. I'm strong now and ready for what we had before."

Jethro pulled off his t-shirt and slid his boxers off. He crawled in and pulled Tim to him, breathing in his scent as his hands roamed everywhere. "Love you, Tim."

Breathing hard, Tim looked up at him. "Show me."

…..

Emily Fornell was too panicked to breath as she stumbled through the fields. She held onto a sobbing Amala as tightly as possible, and for once in her young life, Ziva and Tony's daughter didn't try to squirrel out of her arms. Emily spotted the silver head as she tripped over a hill of potatoes. She raised her head out of the dirt and hollered. "Jethro!"

Her voice was weak from hyperventilating, but Gibbs knew panic when he heard it. He dropped his hoe and ran toward her. She was barely to her feet when he reached her. "Where's Nadine?"

"We're picking flowers near the road…you said we could…and then the men came…" She leaned over as she tried to catch her breath.

He took Amala from her and handed her to one of the women who ran up. Then he knelt in front of Emily. "Take it slow. Who showed up?"

"Five or six men in a truck. They stopped and chased Nadine down…Man said he was Jarvis."

Gibbs closed his eyes. "What did he want?"

She took a deep breath. "He wants you to have a supply truck filled with food and ammunition at the crossroads in two hours…Said he just wants supplies. Said supplies have to worth one little girl's life. Said you have to come alone…She was so scared, Uncle Jethro!"

He hugged her tightly. "You did good, Em. You did good."

He pushed her toward another woman, and then started running toward Esperanza.

…..

Martha's people were rapidly filling the truck while Gibbs checked his backup weapons. Tim paced. "The crossroads is about 10 miles north of here. There's a short cut through the forest, maybe 5-6 miles. I can get there in under an hour."

Tony nodded. "I'll go with you."

Ziva stood up in the truck. "I don't need much space back here. They open the back and they'll never know what hit them."

"You and I don't go on ops together because of our daughter," Tony growled.

"It's Nadine and she belongs to all of us. All bets are off."

Gibbs nodded. "We're a team again for this. We have to keep it small or they'll smell it. Here's hoping we can still read each other well enough to get this done."

Tim slapped Tony's shoulder. "We gotta' go. Follow me."

….

Tim knew the importance of pacing himself. The pain in his side from the bone spurs was sharp, but he ignored it as he ran down the beaten path by the creek. Tony ran behind him, breathing steady. It felt seamless like it had all those years ago when the two of them worked together every day.

….

Gibbs slowed the truck near the crossroads taking time to scan the woods on either side. As he came to a stop near a battered road sign, a truck backed out of the forest, and six men piled out. One of the larger men was carrying Nadine and she lay motionless on his shoulder. Gibbs climbed out, keeping his hands where they could see them.

Jarvis came out from behind the truck. "Good job, Gibbs. Let's keep it simple and everyone is going to be just fine."

Jethro looked at Nadine. "What's wrong with her?"

"She was a little hysterical. Said her daddies were going to be really mad at me. I gave her half a sleeping pill. Now she's not so scared."

"So help me God, Jarvis, I will gut you with a knife if she's been harmed."

He shook his head. "This is merely a peaceful negotiation. My men and I are going to leave the area. We just need some supplies. It's live and let live for me now."

"You're power hungry. The minute you feel strong again, you're going to be wreaking havoc for anyone trying to survive. You're a monster."

"Hey, let's not talk like that, Gibbs. I'm planning to let you live. Now stand back while I get a look in the back of that truck. I better find everything we need."

"Give me my daughter first."

"Patience, Gibbs. Patience."

Jarvis opened the back of the truck and climbed in. Gibbs could hear boxes moving around but nothing more. Then he jumped out. "Wish there was more produce, but this will have to do."

"Give me my daughter."

Jarvis signaled to the man with Nadine, and he walked over and handed her to Gibbs. Gibbs was comforted to hear her steady breathing.

"Wish I could let you live, Gibbs, but the world's an easier place for me without you."

Jarvis nodded at his men and they raised their weapons. All of a sudden, there was a whistle sound and two of the men keeled forward. Gibbs dove for cover behind the truck while more bullets whistled by. The flap on the back of the truck opened and Ziva reached for Nadine. She placed her in the back and then hopped out, her gun ready.

It took only a few minutes, and none of Jarvis' men were moving. Gibbs pulled Jarvis out from under the truck where he was hiding and handcuffed him. Ziva signaled to the forest. McGee and Tony trotted up. "You should've seen Tim. He got two of them right behind the ear. Crack shot!"

Tim ignored him while he climbed into the back of the truck to check on Nadine.

Jarvis wriggled against his cuffs. "Gibbs, I would never have killed you. Just wanted to scare you. Protocol in this situation is that you run me up the highway a hundred miles and leave me to fend for myself."

Gibbs walked up to Jarvis and stared at him hard. "You're not worth 10 miles of gas, let alone 100 miles."

"You believe in justice, Gibbs. You're not capable of killing a man in handcuffs. What would it say about your precious Esperanza if you did? It would prove that you're no different than I was in the Emerald city. I deserve a fair hearing."

Tim jumped out of the back of the truck. "She seems to be fine."

Jarvis started toward Tim. "McGee, tell him. Your Esperanza doesn't mean anything if you're nothing but murderers."

"You want a fair hearing? You'll get one," Tony said as he grabbed Jarvis by the scruff of his neck and backed him into a tree. "We're the prosecution and you're the defense. What do you have to say?"

Jarvis licked his lips. "We are all just trying to survive. None of us are the same people we were before. We've all bent the rules. I had to be ruthless to take care of as many people as I had under my command. I had no choice."

The former MCRT members watched him silently.

"I saved lives. And if you would've shared Esperanza with me, we would be a bigger, stronger, and more vibrant community today. You're fighting the wrong man. You've always been fighting the wrong man."

"Anything more," Gibbs said quietly.

"You and I are a lot a like. We've both killed because we've had to. It would be the epitome of hypocrisy for you to kill me. You deserve to be up against this tree just as much I do."

"My turn," Gibbs sighed. "We are both killers. The only difference is that I kill predators. You don't make that distinction. You prey on the weak. That's the crime I charge you with."

Tony stepped forward. "I charge you with trying to steal my home and the spirit of our community."

"I charge you with kidnapping our daughter, Nadine," Ziva said, her chin trembling.

"And I charge you with the murder of my father, Admiral McGee," Tim said, eyes burning.

"We live in a different world now. In the old world, there would be prisons to hold you, but in this world, we have to have different consequences. I sentence you to death, Jarvis," Gibbs said dispassionately.

"No!" He screamed.

"I concur," said Tony.

"Me too."

"As do I," said Ziva.

"Let's not prolong this any more," Gibbs said as he raised his gun. The three of them followed suit, and together, they opened fire. Jarvis slammed into the tree as his body absorbed bullets.

For a few moments after the shooting stopped, they stood there silently. Gibbs turned to his former team. "Any of you conflicted about what just happened?"

No one said anything. Then Tony smiled. "I ride shotgun on the way back."

Tim rolled his eyes. "I bet he starts calling me probie again."

Ziva took his arm. "You and I will ride in the back with our girl. We're going to have to take turns staying home with her for the next few days. Poor baby."

Tim nodded. "Tonight, she gets ten stories if she wants them."

Gibbs took one last look at Jarvis and then headed for the truck. He knew he was going to sleep just fine over this. Besides, he had a large family now, and they were going to need all of his energy.

…..

The End


End file.
